deprecate

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin deprecatus, past participle of deprecari (“to pray against (a present or impending evil), pray for, intercede for (that which is in danger), rarely imprecate”), from de (“off”) + precari (“to pray”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛpɹɪkeɪt/, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛpɹəkeɪt/
• Hyphenation: dep‧re‧cate

Verb

1. (transitive) To belittle or express disapproval of.
   • 2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes‎^[1], page 295:

     Prior to the 1980s, Australian English had been widely deprecated by Australians themselves, principally as a result of a sense of inferiority known as "cultural cringe".

   He deprecates any praise of his own merits.

   They deprecated the attempt to deny aid to homeless people.

   She deprecated any action which might disturb the peace.

2. (transitive, chiefly computing) To declare something obsolescent; to recommend against a function, technique, command, etc. that still works but has been replaced.

   The bold tag has been deprecated in favour of the strong tag.

   It is still supported but strongly deprecated.

3. (transitive, archaic) To pray against.
   • 1701, Nehemiah Grew, Cosmologia Sacra, London: W. Rogers, S. Smith, and B. Walford, page 126:

     And in deprecating of Evil, we make an humble Acknowledgement of Guilt; and of God’s Juſtice in chaſtizing, as well as Clemency, in ſparing the Guilty.

   • 1712, George Smalridge, “A Sermon, Preach’d at the Royal Chapel at St. James’s on Wedneſday, January the 16th, 1711/12”, London: Jonah Bowyer, page 18:

     […] , though the Temporal Judgments which We Deprecate, are not remov’d.

4. (transitive, archaic) To regret deeply.

Usage notes

• Do not confuse with depreciate (“decline in value / disparage”).

Derived terms

• self-deprecating

Related terms

• deprecation

Translations

express disapproval of

• Bulgarian: не одобря́вам (ne odobrjávam)
• Czech: neschvalovat, zavrhovat
• Dutch: afkeuren (nl)
• Finnish: tuomita (fi), paheksua (fi), väheksyä (fi), vähätellä (fi)
• French: désapprouver (fr) de
• German: ablehnen (de), missbilligen (de), nicht gutheißen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: helytelenít (hu), elítél (hu), rosszall (hu)
• Ido: desaprobar (io)
• Italian: deprecare (it)
• Japanese: 非難する (ja) (hinan suru)
• Portuguese: depreciar (pt)
• Russian: возража́ть (ru) impf (vozražátʹ), возрази́ть (ru) pf (vozrazítʹ), протестова́ть (ru) impf (protestovátʹ), выступа́ть про́тив impf (vystupátʹ prótiv), ре́зко осужда́ть impf (rézko osuždátʹ), не одобря́ть impf (ne odobrjátʹ)

to discontinue

• Finnish: merkitä vanhentuneeksi
• German: als überholt einstufen, als veraltet einstufen
• Hungarian: elavultnak minősít
• Japanese: 終了する (ja) (shūryō suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: utdatere
• Portuguese: descontinuar
• Russian: приостана́вливать (ru) impf (priostanávlivatʹ), приостанови́ть (ru) pf (priostanovítʹ), прекраща́ть (ru) impf (prekraščátʹ), прекрати́ть (ru) pf (prekratítʹ)
• Spanish: descontinuar (es)

to pray against

• German: beten dagegen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• “deprecate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “deprecate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “deprecate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

---

Italian

Verb

deprecate

1. second-person plural present and imperative of deprecare

---

Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) dēprecāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēprecō