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demoralise

 - 2 dictionary results

de⋅mor⋅al⋅ize

[di-mawr-uh-lahyz, -mor-]
–verb (used with object), -ized, -iz⋅ing.
1. to deprive (a person or persons) of spirit, courage, discipline, etc.; destroy the morale of: The continuous barrage demoralized the infantry.
2. to throw (a person) into disorder or confusion; bewilder: We were so demoralized by that one wrong turn that we were lost for hours.
3. to corrupt or undermine the morals of.
Also, especially British, de⋅mor⋅al⋅ise.


Origin:
1785–95; < F démoraliser. See de-, moral, -ize


de⋅mor⋅al⋅i⋅za⋅tion, noun
de⋅mor⋅al⋅iz⋅er, noun
de⋅mor⋅al⋅iz⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

demoralize 
c.1793, "to corrupt the morals of," from Fr. demoraliser, from de- "remove" + moral (adj.) (see moral). Said to be a coinage of the Fr. Revolution. Sense of "lower the morale of" (especially of armies) is first recorded 1848.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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