to cause (somebody) to lose self-respect or the respect of others or self-respect; to demean

to reduce the quality of (something); specif to impair it with respect to some physical property

archaic to lower (somebody) in grade, rank, or status; to demote

in chemistry, to decompose (a compound)

in geology, to wear (rocks) down by erosion

to become qualitatively worse; to degenerate

to decompose or disintegrate