dep·re·cate

[dep-ri-keyt]
verb (used with object), dep·re·cat·ed, dep·re·cat·ing.
1.
to express earnest disapproval of.
2.
to urge reasons against; protest against (a scheme, purpose, etc.).
3.
to depreciate; belittle.
4.
Archaic. to pray for deliverance from.

Origin:
1615–25; < Latin dēprecātus prayed against, warded off (past participle of dēprecārī), equivalent to dē- de- + prec(ārī) to pray + -ātus -ate1

dep·re·cat·ing·ly, adverb
dep·re·ca·tion, noun
dep·re·ca·tor, noun
half-dep·re·cat·ing, adjective
half-dep·re·cat·ing·ly, adverb
non·dep·re·cat·ing, adjective
non·dep·re·cat·ing·ly, adverb
un·dep·re·cat·ed, adjective
un·dep·re·cat·ing, adjective
un·dep·re·cat·ing·ly, adverb

deprecate, depreciate (see usage note at the current entry).


1. condemn, denounce, disparage. See decry.


An early and still the most current sense of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” In a sense development still occasionally criticized by a few, deprecate has come to be synonymous with the similar but etymologically unrelated word depreciate in the sense “belittle”: The author modestly deprecated the importance of his work. In compounds with self-, deprecate has almost totally replaced depreciate in modern usage: Her self-deprecating account of her career both amused and charmed the audience.
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World English Dictionary
deprecate (ˈdɛprɪˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to express disapproval of; protest against
2.  to depreciate (a person, someone's character, etc); belittle
3.  archaic to try to ward off by prayer
 
[C17: from Latin dēprecārī to avert, ward off by entreaty, from de- + precārī to pray]
 
 
'deprecating
 
adj
 
'deprecatingly
 
adv
 
depre'cation
 
n
 
'deprecative
 
adj
 
'deprecatively
 
adv
 
'deprecator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

deprecate
1620s, "to pray against or for deliverance from," from L. deprecat-, pp. stem of deprecari "to pray (something) away" (see deprecation). Meaning "to express disapproval" is from 1640s. Related: Deprecated, deprecating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
To bespeak the importance of small parks is not to deprecate the importance of
  big ones.
He teaches but does not deprecate - at least publicly.
The lawyer should do nothing to deprecate the bank's functions or its
  importance in the field of estate planning.
Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who
  want crops without plowing up the ground.
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