The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
DEGRADES
Verb
degrades
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of degrade
Source: Wiktionary
DEGRADE
De*grade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Degraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Degrading.] Etym: [F. dégrader, LL. degradare, fr. L. de- + gradus step, degree. See Grade, and cf. Degree.]
1. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank' to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer. Prynne was sentenced by the Star Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar. Palfrey.
2. To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man. O miserable mankind, to what fall Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Milton. He pride . . . struggled hard against this degrading passion. Macaulay.
3. (Geol.)
Definition: To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.
Syn.
– To abase; demean; lower; reduce. See Abase.
De*grade", v. i. (Biol.)
Definition: To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
19 April 2025
CATCH
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
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