What is the Latin word for degrade?

The usual Latin words for “degrade” are removeō, āmoveō, spoliō; also notō, inūrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“degrade” in Latin

removeōto remove, take away āmoveōto remove from, move, put, or take away; to withdraw, retire; to take away by stealth, steal, or snatch spoliōto strip, deprive or rob of covering or clothing, uncover, bare, unclothe; to strip, deprive or rob of arms or equipment notōto mark, make a mark; to write, especially in shorthand; to write remarks or notes inūrōto burn (in, off or away)

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

degrade

Remove to a lower rank, loco movere (of soldiers; Caes., B.C., 3, 74; coupled with ignominia notare, to disgrace): ex superiore ordine in inferiorem detrudere aliquem (cf., Suet., Caes., 29, in.): gradu dejicere aliquem (after Modest. in Dig., 49, 16, 3): ab ordine movere aliquem (after Ulp., Dig., 37, 20, 30): militandi ordinem alicui mutare (of a soldier; ☞ Liv., 25, 6, 15): removere, amovere or submovere aliquem munere (to remove him from his office; especially from an office of state). To degrade a senator, aliquem a or de senatu movere; aliquem senatu or senatorio loco movere (Liv., 39, 42): to degrade anybody from his office, abrogare or abolere alicui magistratum (both in the Roman sense abolere implying that the degradation is forever): to degrade the governor of a province, aliquem provincia demovere.

In a wider sense; to disgrace, etc., dignitate sua privare or spoliare: imminuere alicujus auctoritatem: aliquem ignominia afficere or notare (the latter, Caes., B.C., 3, 74): ignominiam alicui injungere or inurere (to disgrace). To degrade one’s self, se abjicere: se abjicere et prosternere: minuere suam dignitatem: dignitatis suae immemorem esse: se dedecorare (e.g., flagitiis): se ipsum in ordinem cogere (Liv.; to forget what is due to one’s self; figurative expression from the notion of reducing an officer to the ranks [?]): in pejorem partem rapere: to degrade art to a gainful trade, artem ad mercedem atque quaestum abducere: to such a degree was art degraded by Perillus, in hoc Perillus artem devocavit. To degrade one’s self to anything, prolabi ad aliquid: descendere ad aliquid: se projicere in aliquid: to degrade anything, aliquid abjicere et prosternere (Terentianus).

Degrading [Vid: DISGRACEFUL]. To think anything degrading, aliquid infra se positum arbitrari; anything is degrading to anybody, est infra alicujus dignitatem. Thinking it degrading to, inferius majestate sua rati, si, etc. (Tac., Ann., 3, 3).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for degrade?: The usual Latin words for “degrade” are removeō, āmoveō, spoliō; also notō, inūrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.