to demote / degrade
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to demote
To move someone down to a lower military or professional rank. This often happens as a punishment for misconduct.
Nach dem Skandal wurde der Manager zum einfachen Sachbearbeiter degradiert.
After the scandal, the manager was demoted to a regular clerk.
to degrade
To demean something or reduce its value, reputation, or quality.
Man sollte eine ernsthafte Diskussion nicht durch persönliche Angriffe degradieren.
One should not degrade a serious discussion through personal attacks.
to degrade
In chemistry or biology, it means to break down or decompose a complex chemical compound into simpler components.
Bestimmte Enzyme können komplexe Zucker zu Glukose degradieren.
Certain enzymes can degrade complex sugars into glucose.
The word 'degradieren' (to demote / degrade) comes from Latin. The prefix 'de-' means 'down' or 'away', and 'gradus' means 'step' or 'rank'. So the literal meaning is to put someone or something on a lower level.
Man kann eine Person oder auch eine Sache degradieren.
You can degrade a person or also a thing.
The verb 'degradieren' (to demote / degrade) is almost always used with the preposition 'zu' + dative. The structure is: someone (subject) demotes/degrades someone/something (accusative) to something (dative).
Der Kapitän wurde zum einfachen Matrosen degradiert.
The captain was demoted to a regular sailor.
The context reveals which meaning is intended. If it is about people in a profession or in the military, it means demotion in rank. In discussions, it is about demeaning or lowering the quality of something. In scientific texts, it refers to chemical breakdown.
Man sollte Sport nicht zu einem reinen Geschäft degradieren.
One should not degrade sports into a purely commercial business.
The meaning 'abbauen' (to break down) or 'zersetzen' (to decompose) belongs to the technical language of chemistry and biology. In normal everyday life, 'degradieren' (to degrade) is not used in this sense.
Das Plastik wird im Meer nur sehr langsam degradiert.
The plastic degrades only very slowly in the ocean.
to dismantle / reduce / mine
Both words can describe the breakdown of a complex compound. Abbauen is the more general word, while degradieren refers to this process more precisely in technical language. Abbauen fits a general description; when describing the breakdown of a complex compound in technical terms, degradieren is usually more appropriate.
Mikroorganismen degradieren die komplexe Kunststoffverbindung im Boden langsam.
Microorganisms slowly degrade the complex plastic compound in the soil.
Mikroorganismen bauen den Kunststoff im Boden langsam ab.
Microorganisms slowly break down the plastic in the soil.
