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Abase vs Devolve - What's the difference?

abase | devolve |

As verbs the difference between abase and devolve

is that abase is (archaic) to lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye while devolve is .

abase

English

Verb

(abas)
  • (archaic) To lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye.
    • "Saying so, he abased his lance''." - ''
  • To lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, so as to hurt feelings or cause pain; to depress; to humiliate; to humble; to degrade.
    • "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased'' ." - ''Luke 14:11
  • (obsolete) To lower in value, in particular as altering the content of alloys in coins.

    • Synonyms

    * debase * degrade

    Antonyms

    * promote * exalt * extoll

    Derived terms

    * abasedly * abasement * abaser

    References

    * *

    devolve

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (obsolete) To roll (something) down; to unroll.
  • * 1744 , (Mark Akenside), The Pleasures of the Imagination , II:
    • every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.
  • * 1830 , , Character :
    • He spake of virtue […] And with […] a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.
  • To be inherited by someone else; to pass down (upon) the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.
  • * 1932 , (Duff Cooper), Talleyrand , Folio Society 2010, p. 4:
    • an accident […] rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.
  • To delegate (a responsibility, duty etc.) (on) or (upon) someone.
  • * 1704 , (Joseph Addison), Remarks on Several Parts of Italy :
    • They devolved their whole authority into the hands of the council of sixty.
  • * 1756 , (Edmund Burke), A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful :
    • An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favourite […].
  • To fall as a duty or responsibility (on) or (upon) someone.
  • * , Episode 16:
    • For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned.
  • To degenerate; to break down.
    • A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match.

    Related terms

    * devolution

    Anagrams

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