(v. t.) To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer.
(v. t.) To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man.
(v. t.) To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.
(v. i.) To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.
Example Sentences:
(1) This bone could not be degraded by human monocytes in vitro as well as control bone (only 54% of control; P less than 0.003).
(2) Lp(a) also complexes to plasmin-fibrinogen digests, and binding increases in proportion to the time of plasmin-induced fibrinogen degradation.
(3) The rate of accumulation of degraded LDL products was lower in collagen gel cultures, but the final levels achieved were the same in the two substrata.
(4) At the highest dose of chloroquine tested (500 microM), a slightly greater increase in insulin binding and a decrease in insulin degradation were observed in fetal cells as compared with adult cells.
(5) Addition of extracellular mevalonate led to a concentration-dependent fall in both processes, although a higher concentration was required to produce the same effect on LDL degradation as on HMG-CoA reductase activity.
(6) Radioiodinated a-factor was used to identify the a-factor-degrading activity, which is cell associated, endoproteolytic, and not required for response to pheromone.
(7) Densitometric analysis of myofibrillar proteins separated with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that troponin I and troponin T were degraded during 60 minutes of CGI.
(8) In addition, we found apyrase activity (which degrades ATP and ADP to AMP and orthophosphate) and an anticoagulant.
(9) Degradation of both viral and host DNA with micrococcal nuclease and spleen phosphodiesterase indicated that CdG was incorporated primarily into internal positions in both DNAs.
(10) In vitro studies showed that BOF-A2 was rapidly degraded to EM-FU and CNDP in homogenates of the liver and small intestine of mice and rats, and in sera of mice, rats and human, and the conversion of EM-FU to 5-FU occurred only in the microsomal fraction of rat liver in the presence of NADPH.
(11) Only PPACK completely inhibited changes in fibrin degradation products, plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin.
(12) On the other hand, if we correct for the population of HMM with degraded light chain 2, the difference in the binding constants in the presence and absence of Ca2+ may be as great as 5-fold.
(13) When cultures were pulse labeled for 15 min and then incubated under chase conditions for 105 min, the amount of degraded collagen attained a value equal to approximately 20% of the amount synthesized during the labeling period; the data were fit with a simple exponential function that had a 40-min rise time and a 12-min lag time.
(14) The mode of ribosome degradation under this condition is discussed in terms of differential appearance of these intermediate particles.
(15) Degraded visual acuity had a significant effect on cadence, foot placement, and foot clearance, but visual surround conditions did not.
(16) The resistance of GSA 65 to proteolytic degradation, together with previous immunofluorescence data that indicate the antigen is an integral part of the G. lamblia cyst wall, suggests that this molecule may play a role in maintaining the integrity of the cyst in vivo.
(17) 5% of the degradation resulted from enzymatic activity in the culture medium, presumably due to secretion of proteolytic enzymes by the cells.
(18) At 37 degrees C, 125I-labeled TNF-alpha was rapidly internalized and degraded in L-929, U-937 and LAK cells.
(19) Recovery after EEDQ administration showed that both receptor production rate and degradation rate constants of anterior pituitary D2 and striatal D1 receptors were slowed after chronic estradiol treatment, whereas recovery rates for striatal D2 dopamine receptors were unaffected.
(20) The specific rates of degradation of L-arginine-AMC, gly-proline-AMC, N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine-AMC and N-[p-toluene-sulphonyl]gly-pro-arginine-AMC were significantly greater in that group, indicating that the composition of their gingival crevicular fluid was different from that of the gingivitis group.
Hangdog
Definition:
(n.) A base, degraded person; a sneak; a gallows bird.
(a.) Low; sneaking; ashamed.
Example Sentences:
(1) The health secretary had spent part of the morning putting on a hangdog show of unity at a made-for-TV coalition health summit, with David Cameron and Nick Clegg doing most of the talking.
(2) If he was a cartoon character, he’d be … Put Droopy, with his jowly, hangdog expression, and Fred Flintstone, with his eternal optimism and large body mass, into a blender and you might come up with something akin to Sam.
(3) On Wednesday Yesterday Roux showed his mettle by directing firm, aggressive and piercing questions at the hangdog detective on the stand.
(4) "He was like, 'I've thrown parents in the pool before, don't make me throw you,'" says Tony, adopting a hangdog look and mimicking Murray in the lowest, most droll voice possible.
(5) Bill Murray does his usual stalwart job of looking hangdog, but it's impossible to get emotional about it as a viewer.
(6) Even the sympathy vote, the outsider status that Labour could have claimed by being in opposition, was sucked up by Nick Clegg’s lovely little hangdog expression.
(7) His hangdog face and cynical attitude are that of a man who can barely make it through any given day, let alone the same one repeated endlessly.
(8) My editor had asked me beforehand if I would ask as many celebrities as possible to take selfies with me at the parties and, to my amazement, most of them agree with enthusiasm, even those who have every right to be a bit naffed off with the Oscars – Richard Linklater, for one, is especially happy to have some selfie action at the ball, despite his somewhat hangdog-like smile after losing repeatedly to Iñárritu.
(9) He has a rather sad, hangdog expression - even when talking about his comeback.
(10) In his defence, nobody appealed – Waddle just got straight up with that hangdog gait – and on first viewing it was hard to be certain it was a penalty.
(11) He stands before you in a rumpled suit and a hangdog face, singing of mortgage payments, outsourcing and the threat of redundancy.
(12) The demeanour was no less hangdog, but Slaven Bilic’s words were upbeat at last as he was able to celebrate a rare home Premier League victory.