Main Translations

English: Debase

Thai: ทำให้เสื่อมค่า (tham hai seueam kha)

Phonetic: tham-hai-sueam-kha (pronounced with a rising tone on "tham" and a falling tone on "kha")

Detailed Explanation: The word "debase" is a verb that means to lower the value, quality, or dignity of something or someone, often implying a deliberate or harmful action. Usage scenarios include moral, economic, or social contexts, such as debasing a currency by reducing its metal content or debasing one's character through unethical behavior. Emotionally, it carries a negative connotation, evoking feelings of disappointment, shame, or degradation. Semantic nuances include its transitive nature, where the subject actively causes the lowering, and it is commonly used in formal or critical discussions to highlight ethical lapses.

Thai: ลดคุณค่า (lod khun kha)

Phonetic: lod-khun-kha (pronounced with a mid tone on "lod" and a rising tone on "kha")

Detailed Explanation: "ลดคุณค่า" is a secondary translation that emphasizes reducing the worth or esteem of something. In Thai contexts, it is often used in everyday conversations about personal integrity, product quality, or cultural values. For instance, it might describe debasing traditions in modern society. Emotionally, it conveys a sense of loss or disrespect, with nuances tied to Thai cultural emphasis on hierarchy and face-saving (e.g., avoiding actions that debase one's social standing). It is versatile in both formal and informal settings but is particularly poignant in discussions of ethics or heritage.

Overview of Usage Scenarios

The word "debase" is primarily used in contexts involving moral degradation, economic devaluation, or social criticism. It appears in formal writing, such as business reports, legal documents, or academic essays, as well as in everyday conversations about personal behavior. Common scenarios include ethical dilemmas in professional settings, cultural shifts in leisure activities, and self-reflection in informal discussions. Its negative undertone makes it suitable for emphasizing the consequences of lowering standards, with frequent applications in English-speaking cultures for topics like currency inflation or character flaws.

Example Sentences

Example Sentences in Different Scenarios

Business Scenario

English: The CEO's decision to debase the company's ethical standards led to a major scandal.

Thai: การตัดสินใจของซีอีโอที่จะทำให้เสื่อมค่าสถานะทางจริยธรรมของบริษัทนำไปสู่เรื่องอื้อฉาวครั้งใหญ่ (Kan dtat sin jai khong see-ee-o thi ja tham hai seueam kha sathan tahang jaritham khong bori sat nam pai su reuang ueang chao krang yai)

Grammatical Breakdown: "The CEO's decision" (subject) + "to debase" (verb in infinitive form, indicating purpose) + "the company's ethical standards" (direct object) + "led to" (verb phrase linking to result) + "a major scandal" (object of result). The sentence uses a possessive structure ("CEO's") and a relative clause.

Structural Analysis: This is a complex sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause, highlighting cause-and-effect in a professional context. The verb "debase" functions transitively, making it SEO-friendly for searches like "debase in business."

Leisure Scenario

English: Social media can debase friendships by encouraging superficial interactions.

Thai: สื่อสังคมออนไลน์สามารถลดคุณค่าความสัมพันธ์เพื่อนฝูงโดยการส่งเสริมปฏิสัมพันธ์ที่ผิวเผิน (Suea sangkhom online sarm rad tam lod khun kha khwam samphan thuea neu fung doi kan song serm bpati samphan thi phiu phen)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Social media" (subject) + "can debase" (modal verb + main verb) + "friendships" (direct object) + "by encouraging" (prepositional phrase with gerund) + "superficial interactions" (object of gerund). It employs a passive implication through context.

Structural Analysis: This sentence is compound, using a prepositional phrase to explain the mechanism. It illustrates "debase" in casual, everyday scenarios, optimizing for keywords like "debase in social media."

Formal Occasion

English: Historians argue that the king's actions debased the monarchy's prestige during the war.

Thai: นักประวัติศาสตร์โต้แย้งว่าการกระทำของกษัตริย์ทำให้เสื่อมค่าสถานะของพระมหากษัตริย์ในช่วงสงคราม (Nak bpratit sat toe yaeng wa kan kra tham khong kasat tham hai seueam kha sathan khong phra maha kasat nai chun song khram)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Historians" (subject) + "argue that" (verb + subordinate conjunction) + "the king's actions" (subject of subordinate clause) + "debased" (past tense verb) + "the monarchy's prestige" (direct object) + "during the war" (prepositional phrase). It uses reported speech.

Structural Analysis: A complex sentence with embedded clauses, suitable for formal contexts. "Debase" here shows historical application, aiding SEO for "debase in history."

Informal Occasion

English: Don't debase yourself by gossiping about friends; it's not worth it.

Thai: อย่าทำให้ตัวเองเสื่อมค่าโดยการนินทาเพื่อนฝูงเลย มันไม่คุ้มหรอก (Ya tham hai tua eng seueam kha doi kan nin tha phuea neu fung loei, man mai khum ror)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Don't" (contraction of "do not," imperative form) + "debase yourself" (verb + reflexive object) + "by gossiping" (prepositional phrase) + "about friends" (object of preposition) + "; it's not worth it" (independent clause). It includes an imperative structure.

Structural Analysis: This is a compound sentence with an imperative and declarative clause, common in casual advice. It demonstrates "debase" in personal contexts for SEO terms like "debase in everyday language."

Example Sentences in Different Sentence Types

Declarative Sentence

English: Inflation can debase the value of money over time.

Thai: อัตราเงินเฟ้อสามารถทำให้เสื่อมค่าของเงินตามกาลเวลา (A tra ngoen feo sarm rad tam tham hai seueam kha khong ngoen dtam kan wela)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Inflation" (subject) + "can debase" (modal verb + main verb) + "the value of money" (direct object) + "over time" (adverbial phrase).

Structural Analysis: Straightforward declarative structure, stating a fact for educational purposes.

Interrogative Sentence

English: How can we prevent leaders from debasing public trust?

Thai: เราจะป้องกันผู้นำจากการทำให้เสื่อมค่าความเชื่อถือของสาธารณชนได้อย่างไร (Rao ja bpong dan phu nam ja kan tham hai seueam kha khwam cheua thu khong satharana chon dai yang rai)

Grammatical Breakdown: "How" (interrogative adverb) + "can we prevent" (modal verb + main verb) + "leaders" (object) + "from debasing" (gerund phrase) + "public trust" (object of gerund).

Structural Analysis: Question form to provoke thought, using "debase" in a rhetorical context.

Imperative Sentence

English: Never debase your principles for short-term gains.

Thai: อย่าเคยทำให้เสื่อมค่าหลักการของคุณเพื่อผลประโยชน์ระยะสั้น (Ya koey tham hai seueam kha lak kan khong khun phuea phal prayoteh ra ya san)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Never" (adverb) + "debase" (imperative verb) + "your principles" (direct object) + "for short-term gains" (prepositional phrase).

Structural Analysis: Direct command, emphasizing avoidance of negative actions.

Exclamatory Sentence

English: What a shame to debase such a noble tradition!

Thai: น่าเสียดายที่ทำให้เสื่อมค่าประเพณีที่สูงส่งเช่นนี้! (Na sia dai thi tham hai seueam kha bpra pini thi soong song chen ni!)

Grammatical Breakdown: "What a shame" (exclamatory phrase) + "to debase" (infinitive verb) + "such a noble tradition" (object).

Structural Analysis: Exclamatory for emotional emphasis, highlighting cultural sensitivity.

Example Sentences of Different Difficulties

Simple Sentence

English: Thieves debase society.

Thai: โจรทำให้สังคมเสื่อมค่า (Chor tham hai sangkhom seueam kha)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Thieves" (subject) + "debase" (verb) + "society" (object).

Structural Analysis: Basic subject-verb-object structure for beginners.

Intermediate Sentence

English: Poor leadership can debase an organization's reputation quickly.

Thai: การนำที่ไม่ดีสามารถทำให้เสื่อมค่าชื่อเสียงขององค์กรอย่างรวดเร็ว (Kan nam thi mai dee sarm rad tam tham hai seueam kha chuea siang khong aung kor yang rwot reaw)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Poor leadership" (subject) + "can debase" (verb phrase) + "an organization's reputation" (object) + "quickly" (adverb).

Structural Analysis: Adds modifiers for intermediate learners.

Complex Sentence

English: Although it seems harmless, repeatedly debasing cultural norms can lead to long-term societal issues.

Thai: แม้ว่าจะดูไร้เดียงสา แต่การทำให้เสื่อมค่าปฏิสัมพันธ์ทางวัฒนธรรมซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าอาจนำไปสู่ปัญหาสังคมระยะยาว (Ma wa ja do rai diang sa, tae kan tham hai seueam kha bpati samphan tahang wat tan tham zap laeo zap lao at nam pai su panha sangkhom ra ya yaow)

Grammatical Breakdown: "Although it seems harmless" (subordinate clause) + "repeatedly debasing" (gerund phrase) + "cultural norms" (object) + "can lead to" (main clause verb) + "long-term societal issues" (object).

Structural Analysis: Multi-clause structure for advanced users, incorporating concessions.

Related Phrases and Expressions

Synonyms/Near Synonyms:

• Degrade – Used to describe lowering status or quality, often in moral contexts (e.g., "Degrade the environment through pollution").
• Demean – Implies humiliating or reducing dignity, similar to debase but with a focus on self-respect (e.g., "Demean yourself by lying").

Antonyms:

• Elevate – Means to raise or improve value, opposite of debase (e.g., "Elevate your skills through education").
• Ennoble – Suggests enhancing moral or social standing, countering degradation (e.g., "Ennoble the community with positive actions").

Common Collocations:

• Debase currency – Refers to reducing the value of money, as in economic discussions (e.g., "Governments debase currency to stimulate growth").
• Debase oneself – Involves self-degradation, common in personal ethics (e.g., "She refused to debase herself for fame").

Cultural Background and Usage Habits

Cultural Background:

• Cultural Point 1: In Western cultures, particularly English-speaking ones, "debase" often ties to historical events like currency debasement in ancient Rome or modern ethical debates in media. This reflects a cultural emphasis on individualism and moral integrity, where debasing actions are criticized in literature and politics to uphold societal values.

Usage Habits:

• Habit 1: "Debase" is more frequent in formal or written English (e.g., news articles, academic papers) than in casual speech, with higher popularity among educated groups like professionals and students. In Thai contexts, it's used sparingly in everyday talk but gains traction in discussions of national pride or ethics, making it applicable to older demographics or formal settings.

Grammar Explanation

Grammatical Function: "Debase" functions primarily as a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (e.g., "debase the currency"). It can also be used reflexively (e.g., "debase oneself") or in passive voice (e.g., "The value was debased").

Tense and Voice: In different tenses, it changes as follows: present (debase), past (debased), future (will debase), and progressive (is debasing). In voice, it's active by default (e.g., "They debase the standards") but can be passive (e.g., "The standards are debased by them"), allowing flexibility in sentence construction.

References

Etymology and History:

The word "debase" originates from the Latin "de-" (down) and "basis" (base or foundation), evolving in Middle English around the 15th century to mean lowering value, particularly in economics (e.g., debasing coinage). Over time, its usage expanded to include moral and social contexts, influenced by the Industrial Revolution's emphasis on quality and ethics.

Literary References:

• From William Shakespeare's "King Lear" (Act 1, Scene 4): "Thou art a lady; if only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need— You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, As full of grief as age; wretched in both! If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts Against their father, fool me not so much To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger, And let not women's weapons, water-drops, Stain my man's cheeks! No, you unnatural hags, I will have such revenges on you both, That all the world shall— I will do such things,— What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep No, I'll not weep: I have full cause of weeping; but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, Or ere I'll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!" Here, themes of debasing familial bonds are implied, showcasing emotional degradation.
• From modern literature, in George Orwell's "1984": "The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power... Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing." This references debasing human dignity through control, a key theme in dystopian works.