Etymologically
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debauch

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈbɔːt͡ʃ/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French débaucher (“to entice from work or duty”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Old French desbauchier,[2][3][4][5] a word of uncertain origin.[4] It is usually explained as des- and bauch “beam”,[2][3][4][5][6] of Germanic origin and related to balk.[3][4][5][6] The original sense would have been to trim wood into a beam,[3][4] then to split or separate,[3][6] and so to separate someone from work or duty.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To lead someone away from those to whom service or allegiance is due (before 1595).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

From luring people away from their allegiance, the verb came to mean seducing them from virtue or morality (1603),[7][4] especially corrupting them by intemperance or sensual pleasure,[7][5] and seducing a woman from chastity.[7][4] The intransitive sense of indulging to excess is from the 1640s,[4][7] and the noun, a bout of indulgence, from 1603.[3][5][7]

Timeline

  • before 1595 – to entice from allegiance.[7][3]
  • 1603 – to corrupt morally; noun, a bout of excess.[7][3][5]
  • 1642 – debauchery.[3]
  • 1644 – intransitive, to indulge to excess.[7][4]
  • 1711 – to seduce a woman.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To corrupt someone morally, especially through sensuality or excess; to seduce.
  2. To lower the quality of something; to debase.
  3. (archaic) To lead someone away from allegiance or duty.
  4. To indulge in debauchery.

Noun

  1. A bout of debauchery.
  2. An orgy.

Word family

  • debauchedly
  • debaucher
  • debauchment
  • debauchee
  • debauchery
  • balk

Usage notes

Random House refers to debase for a discussion of synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press