de·bauch
Audio Help [di-bawch] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [di-bawch] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
–noun
| 1. | to corrupt by sensuality, intemperance, etc.; seduce. |
| 2. | to corrupt or pervert; sully: His honesty was debauched by the prospect of easy money. |
| 3. | Archaic. to lead away, as from allegiance or duty. |
| 4. | to indulge in debauchery. |
| 5. | a period of wanton or sensual self-indulgence. |
| 6. | an uninhibited spree or party; orgy: a wild debauch. |
[Origin: 1585–95; < F débaucher to entice away from duty, debauch, OF desbauchier to disperse, scatter, equiv. to des- dis-1 + -bauchier, deriv. of bauc, bauch beam (< Gmc; see balcony, balk; cf. F ébaucher to rough-hew); hence, presumably, to hew (beams) > to split, separate > to separate from work or duty
]
] —Related forms
de·bauch·er, noun
de·bauch·ment, noun
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
debauch
To learn more about debauch visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| de·bauch
Audio Help (dĭ-bôch') Pronunciation Key
v. de·bauched, de·bauch·ing, de·bauch·es v. tr.
v. intr. To indulge in dissipation. n.
[French débaucher, from Old French desbauchier, to lead astray, roughhew timber : des-, de- + bauch, beam, of Germanic origin.] de·bauch'ed·ly (-bô'chĭd-lē) adv., de·bauch'er n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
debauch
1595, from M.Fr. debaucher "entice from work or duty," from O.Fr. desbaucher "to lead astray," supposedly lit. "to trim (wood) to make a beam" (from bauch "beam," from Frank. balk; from the same Gmc. source that yielded Eng. balk, q.v.). A sense of "shaving" something away, perhaps, but the root is also said to be a word meaning "workshop," which gets toward the notion of "to lure someone off the job;" either way the sense evolution is unclear.
"Debauchee, n. One who has so earnestly pursued pleasure that he has had the misfortune to overtake it." [Ambrose Bierce, "Devil's Dictionary," 1911]
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| debauch | |
noun | |
| 1. | a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity [syn: orgy] |
verb | |
| 1. | corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Debauch
De*bauch"\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Debauched; p. pr. & vb. n. Debauching.] [F. d['e]baucher, prob. originally, to entice away from the workshop; pref. d['e]- (L. dis- or de) + OF. bauche, bauge, hut, cf. F. bauge lair of a wild boar; prob. from G. or Icel., cf. Icel. b[=a]lkr. See Balk, n.] To lead away from purity or excellence; to corrupt in character or principles; to mar; to vitiate; to pollute; to seduce; as, to debauch one's self by intemperance; to debauch a woman; to debauch an army. Learning not debauched by ambition. --Burke. A man must have got his conscience thoroughly debauched and hardened before he can arrive to the height of sin. --South. Her pride debauched her judgment and her eyes. --Cowley.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Debauch
De*bauch"\, n. [Cf. F. d['e]bauche.]1. Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; drunkenness; lewdness; debauchery. The first physicians by debauch were made. --Dryden. 2. An act or occasion of debauchery. Silenus, from his night's debauch, Fatigued and sick. --Cowley.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Perform a new search, or try your search for "debauch" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms














