Degradation is a wearing down in quality, or a loss of dignity. Environmental degradation, the degradation of the soil, suffer degradation.
The environmental sense is the commoner in writing and covers soil, land and habitat wearing out. Applied to people it is heavier and means being reduced in dignity, which is what the word literally says: a stepping down in grade.
1noundegradationA wearing down in quality, or a loss of dignity.
“The prisoners were kept in chains and suffered daily degradation at the hands of the guards.”
degradation is a decline.
Latin degradare means to reduce in rank — de, down, plus gradus, a step. Grade is the same root.
French
dégradation
English, today
degradation
From French dégradation. Morphologically degrade + ation.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA