deg·ra·da·tion

[deg-ruh-dey-shuhn]
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.

Origin:
1525–35; < Late Latin dēgradātiōn- (stem of dēgradātiō), equivalent to dēgradāt(us) (past participle of dēgradāre to degrade) + -iōn- -ion

deg·ra·da·tion·al, adjective
deg·ra·da·tive, adjective
an·ti·deg·ra·da·tion, adjective
non·deg·ra·da·tion, noun
self-deg·ra·da·tion, noun


2. humiliation, disgrace, dishonor, debasement.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Degradation is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
degradation (ˌdɛɡrəˈdeɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the act of degrading or the state of being degraded
2.  a state of degeneration, squalor, or poverty
3.  some act, constraint, etc, that is degrading
4.  the wearing down of the surface of rocks, cliffs, etc, by erosion, weathering, or some other process
5.  chem a breakdown of a molecule into atoms or smaller molecules
6.  physics an irreversible process in which the energy available to do work is decreased
7.  RC Church the permanent unfrocking of a priest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

degradation
1530s, from Fr. dégradation (14c.), from M.L. degradationem, noun of action from degradare (see degrade).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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.
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Example sentences
Many are already subject to recurring droughts, floods and soil degradation
  that can wipe out their livelihoods.
The half-century that is bracketed by the album and the film has witnessed both
  the expansion and the degradation of a dream.
Biodiversity nullified the impacts of species specific degradation of the
  liveable environment.
Continuing degradation of forest fragments is the main threat to this ecoregion.
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