Both Uses of
debase
in
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
- Even speech was for them a debased form of silence;
Chpt 3 *debased = degraded (decreased in quality)
- Even speech was for them a debased form of silence; how much more futile is poetry which is a debased form of speech.†
Chpt 3
Definition:
-
(debase) to degrade (decrease) the purity, quality, or status of something -- often morality or metals