derogate

English

WOTD – 24 June 2011

Etymology

Borrowed from (the participle stem of) Latin dērogāre (“to annul, repeal part of a law, take away, detract from”), from de- (“from”) + rogāre (“to propose a law, ask”). Compare abrogate, interrogate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛɹəɡeɪt/

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To partially repeal (a law etc.). [16th-17th c.]
   • (Can we date this quote by Sir M. Hale and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     By several contrary customs, […] many of the civil and canon laws are controlled and derogated.

2. (transitive) To detract from (something); to disparage, belittle. [from 16th c.]
   • 1642, John Milton, An Apology for Smectymnuus:

     I never thought the human frailty of erring in cases of religion, infamy to a state, no more than to a council: it had therefore been neither civil nor christianly, to derogate the honour of the state for that cause [...].

   • 1999, Ziva Kunda, Social Cognition, p. 222:

     When the need for self-affirmation is satisfied through other means, one is less compelled to derogate members of negatively stereotyped groups.

   • 2001, Russell Cropanzano, Justice in the Workplace, vol. II, p. 104:

     Bandura (1990) gave a related example of gas chamber operators in Nazi prison camps, who found it necessary to derogate and dehumanize their victims rather than become overwhelmed by distress.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To take away (something from something else) in a way which leaves it lessened. [from 16th c.]
   • (Can we date this quote by Sir T. More and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Anything […] that should derogate, minish, or hurt his glory and his name.

   • (Can we date this quote by Burke and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     It derogates little from his fortitude, while it adds infinitely to the honor of his humanity.

4. (intransitive) To remove a part, to detract from (a quality of excellence, authority etc.). [from 16th c.]
   • 1857, Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers, Volume the Second, page 147 →ISBN

     In doing so she had derogated from her dignity and committed herself.

   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.19:

     God does not have the attributes of a Christian Providence, for it would derogate from His perfection to think about anything except what is perfect, i.e. Himself.

   • 1967, "The undoing of Dodd", Time, 5 Dec 1967:

     The six-member Committee on Standards and Conduct unanimously recommended that the Senate censure the Connecticut Democrat for behavior that is "contrary to good morals, derogates from the public trust expected of a Senator, and tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

5. (intransitive) To act in a manner below oneself; to debase oneself. [from 17th c.]
   • c. 1611, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, II.1:

     CLOTEN. Is it fit I went to look upon him? Is there no derogation in't?

     SECOND LORD. You cannot derogate, my lord.

   • (Can we date this quote by Hazlitt and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Would Charles X. derogate from his ancestors? Would he be the degenerate scion of that royal line?

Usage notes

This verb is relatively uncommon, but the related adjective derogatory is common.

Synonyms

• decry
• (to disparage, belittle): vilify
• (to detract from (a quality of excellence, authority etc.)): abase

Antonyms

• (to disparage, belittle): praise
• (to detract from (a quality of excellence, authority etc.)): exalt

Related terms

• abrogate
• interrogate

Translations

to partially repeal

• Finnish: kumota osittain
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to detract from something; to belittle; disparage

• Bulgarian: омаловажавам (bg) (omalovažavam)
• Finnish: vähätellä (fi), halventaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 貶す (kenasu)
• Russian: принижать (ru) (prinižatʹ), умалять (ru) (umaljatʹ)

to take away or detract from

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} отнемам от (bg) (otnemam ot)
• Catalan: derogar (ca)
• Czech: odejmout (cs)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: vähentää (fi), nakertaa (fi), murentaa
• Portuguese: denegrir (pt)

to remove a part; to detract from (a quality of excellence, authority etc.)

• Finnish: nakertaa (fi), murentaa
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 卑しめる (ja) (iyashimeru), 卑下する (ja) (hige suru)

to debase oneself — see debase

Adjective

derogate (comparative more derogate, superlative most derogate)

1. (archaic) debased
   • 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear I.iv

     Dry up in her the organs of increase, / And from her derogate body never spring / A babe to honour her.

Related terms

• derogatory
• derogation
• derogative

Anagrams

• dogeater, erogated

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Italian

Verb

derogate

1. inflection of derogare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) dērogāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of dērogō