To treat someone disrespectfully or to reduce something to a lower rank, quality, or condition.
From Latin 'degradare'—'de' (down) and 'gradus' (step or rank). Originally meant to reduce in rank; now also means to humiliate or lower quality.
In environmental science, 'biodegradable' means something will break down and degrade naturally—which is actually a positive thing in this context! So 'degrade' can mean both social humiliation and natural chemical breakdown.
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