debase

Etymology

From de- + base, from Old French bas, from Latin bassus. Cognate with Spanish debajo (“under, beneath, below”).

verb

1. (transitive) To lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade.
   And just as history will decide whether the leaders of today's world employed the atom to destroy the world or rebuild it for mankind's benefit, so will history decide whether today's broadcasters employed their powerful voice to enrich the people or to debase them. May 9 1961, Newton N. Minow, Television and the Public Interest
2. (transitive, archaic) To lower in position or rank.
3. (transitive) To lower the value of (a currency) by reducing the amount of valuable metal in the coins.