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degradation
5 dictionary results for: Degradation
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
deg·ra·da·tion 
[deg-ruh-dey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key
[deg-ruh-dey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | the act of degrading. |
| 2. | the state of being degraded. |
| 3. | Physical Geography. the wearing down of the land by the erosive action of water, wind, or ice. |
| 4. | Chemistry. the breakdown of an organic compound. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| deg·ra·da·tion
(děg'rə-dā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.
deg'ra·da'tive adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| degradation | |
noun | |
| 1. | changing to a lower state (a less respected state) |
| 2. | a low or downcast state; "each confession brought her into an attitude of abasement"- H.L.Menchken [syn: abasement] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
degradation deg·ra·da·tion (děg'rə-dā'shən)
n.
Progressive decomposition of a chemical compound into a less complex compound.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Degradation
Deg`ra*da"tion\, n. [LL. degradatio, from degradare: cf. F. d['e]gradation. See Degrade.]1. The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop. He saw many removes and degradations in all the other offices of which he had been possessed. --Clarendon. 2. The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement. The . . . degradation of a needy man of letters. --Macaulay. Deplorable is the degradation of our nature. --South. Moments there frequently must be, when a sinner is sensible of the degradation of his state. --Blair. 3. Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration. The development and degradation of the alphabetic forms can be traced. --I. Taylor (The Alphabet). 4. (Geol.) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc. 5. (Biol.) The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration. The degradation of the species man is observed in some of its varieties. --Dana. 6. (Physiol.) Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole. Degradation of energy, or Dissipation of energy (Physics), the transformation of energy into some form in which it is less available for doing work. Syn: Abasement; debasement; reduction; decline.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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