debasement

Etymology

debase + -ment

noun

1. The act of debasing or the state of being debased; a lowering or degradation, especially in character or quality.
   His large water-dog was acquainted with the fact, and upon the approach of his master, betrayed his sense of inferiority by a sanctity of deportment, a debasement of the ears, and a dropping of the lower jaw not altogether unworthy of a dog. 1832, Edgar Allan Poe, Bon Bon
   There's something ugly and fascinating about reading such intimate tales of debasement and depression and failure and self-doubt. 2009, Gilbert Cruz, "The Many Faces of Addiction (Book review of America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life by Benoit Denizet-Lewis)," Time, 12 Jan.
2. The lowering of the value of a currency by reducing the amount of valuable metal in the coins.