Both Uses of
debase
in
Black Boy
- I would sit listening for hours, wondering how on earth they could laugh so freely, trying to grasp the miracle that gave their debased lives the semblance of a human existence.†
Chpt 1.10debased = degrade (decreased) the purity, quality, or status of something
- But in the presence of whites he would play the role of a clown of the most debased and degraded type.†
Chpt 1.12 *
Definition:
to degrade (decrease) the purity, quality, or status of something -- often morality or metals