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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Debase \De*base"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Debased}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Debasing}.] [Pref. de- + base. See {Base}, adjective, and cf. {Abase}.] To reduce from a higher to a lower state or grade of worth, dignity, purity, station, etc.; to degrade; to lower; to deteriorate; to abase; as, to debase the character by crime; to debase the mind by frivolity; to debase style by vulgar words.
The coin which was adulterated and debased. --Hale.
It is a kind of taking God's name in vain to debase religion with such frivolous disputes. --Hooker.
And to debase the sons, exalts the sires. --Pope.
Syn: To abase; degrade. See {Abase}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
debase
verb
1: corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals" [syn: {corrupt}, {pervert}, {subvert}, {demoralize}, {demoralise}, {debauch}, {profane}, {vitiate}, {deprave}, {misdirect}]
2: lower in value by increasing the base-metal content [syn: {alloy}]
3: corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor" [syn: {adulterate}, {stretch}, {dilute}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
154 Moby Thesaurus words for "debase": abase, abash, abuse, adulterate, alloy, bastardize, bear down, befoul, belittle, bring down, bring into discredit, bring low, bring shame upon, brutalize, bump, bust, canker, cast down, cast reproach upon, cheapen, coarsen, commercialize, confound, contaminate, convert, corrupt, couch, cripple, crush, cry down, cut, damage, debauch, debilitate, decry, defalcate, defile, deflower, defrock, degenerate, degrade, demean, demoralize, demote, denaturalize, denature, deplume, deprave, deprecate, depreciate, depress, derogate from, desecrate, despoil, detract from, detrude, devalue, dilute, diminish, disable, disapprove of, discredit, disgrace, disgrade, dishonor, disparage, displume, distort, divert, doctor, doctor up, downbear, downgrade, dump, dump on, embezzle, enfeeble, fortify, foul, harm, haul down, hold in contempt, humble, humiliate, impair, impute shame to, indent, infect, injure, knock, lace, let down, load, lower, make little of, maladminister, mar, minimize, misapply, misappropriate, misemploy, mishandle, mismanage, misuse, peculate, pervert, pilfer, pillory, poison, pollute, press down, profane, prostitute, pull down, push down, put down, put to shame, ravage, ravish, reduce, reflect discredit upon, reproach, rot, run down, sap, set down, shame, sink, slight, sophisticate, speak ill of, spike, spoil, stain, strip of rank, submit to indignity, taint, take down, tamper with, thrust down, trip up, twist, ulcerate, undermine, unfrock, violate, vitiate, vulgarize, warp, water, water down, weaken, weight, worsen
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