(n) :
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