| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| abase |
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| SYLLABICATION: | a·base |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -b s |
| TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: a·based, a·bas·ing, a·bas·es
To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem. See synonyms at degrade. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English abassen, from Old French abaissier : Latin ad-, ad- + Vulgar Latin *bassire (from Medieval Latin bassus, low). | | OTHER FORMS: | a·basement —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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