the act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop.-the state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.-diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.-a gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.-the state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.-arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.