To make someone morally corrupt, wicked, or evil; to corrupt someone's character or behavior.
From Latin depravare, combining de- (down, away) and pravus (crooked, wicked). Entered English in the 16th century and became the standard form, eventually replacing the less common 'depravate.'
The root pravus literally means 'crooked'—so 'deprave' originally meant to make someone morally twisted or bent away from righteousness, a metaphor that's 2,000 years old.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.