abaissant

abaissant

French

Etymology

Derived from the present participle of abaisser (“to lower, morally degrade”) + -ant

Pronunciation

• (Europe) IPA^(key): /a.bɛ.sɑ̃/, /a.be.sɑ̃/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /abɛːsɑ̃/, /abɛːsã/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: abaissants

Adjective

abaissant (feminine abaissante, masculine plural abaissants, feminine plural abaissantes)

1. (dated) Rendering morally inferior; degrading, demeaning
   • 1860, Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, Les Oeuvres et les Hommes, Preface,

     L’auteur […] n’a jamais eu à subir comme les orateurs de métier la tyrannie toujours abaissante d'un auditoire, qu'ils croient mener et qui les domine — Unlike career speakers, the author never had to endure the degrading tyranny of an audience they believe they are leading, and yet actually controls them.

2. lowering

Synonyms

• rabaissant (current)

Participle

abaissant

1. present participle of abaisser

Further reading

• “abaissant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.