Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - degrade

 verb  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French ~r, from Late Latin degradare, from Latin de- + gradus step, grade — more at grade  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to lower in grade, rank, or status ; demote  b. to strip of rank or honors  c. to lower to an inferior or less effective level ~ the image quality  d. to scale down in desirability or salability  2.  a. to bring to low esteem or into disrepute his actions have ~d his profession  b. to drag down in moral or intellectual character ; corrupt  3. to impair in respect to some physical property material ~d by exposure to sunlight  4. to wear down by erosion  5. to reduce the complexity of (a chemical compound) ; decompose  intransitive verb  1. to pass from a higher grade or class to a lower  2. of a chemical compound to become reduced in complexity  • ~r noun  • degradingly adverb