Where does “debasement” come from?
Debasement comes from English debase, from English base, ultimately from Latin basis meaning "foundation" or "pedestal," with the sense shifting to mean "lower in quality or value."
debasement (English): The act of debasing or the state of being...
Definitions
- The act of debasing or the state of being...
Ancestry of “debasement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | debase | To lower in character, quality, or value; to... |
| 2 | English | de- | reversal, undoing, removing; Intensifying; from,... |
| 3 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 4 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 5 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 6 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |