abase
verb
[ əˈbeɪs ]
• behave in a way that belittles or degrades (someone).
• "I watched my colleagues abasing themselves before the board of trustees"
Similar:
humble,
humiliate,
belittle,
demean,
lower,
degrade,
disgrace,
disparage,
debase,
cheapen,
discredit,
mortify,
bring low,
demote,
reduce,
grovel,
kowtow,
bow and scrape,
toady,
fawn,
crawl,
suck up to someone,
lick someone's boots,
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French abaissier, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + baissier ‘to lower’, based on late Latin bassus ‘short of stature’. The spelling has been influenced by base2.
