Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To corrupt morally. synonym: corrupt.
  • intransitive verb To seduce (someone).
  • intransitive verb To reduce the value, quality, or excellence of; debase.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To cause to forsake allegiance.
  • intransitive verb To indulge in dissipation.
  • noun The act or a period of debauchery.
  • noun An orgy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To corrupt the morals or principles of; entice into improper conduct, as excessive indulgence, treason, etc.; lead astray, as from morality, duty, or allegiance: as, to debauch a youth by evil instruction and example; to debauch an army.
  • Specifically, to corrupt with lewdness; bring to be guilty of unchastity; deprave; seduce: as, to debauch a woman.
  • To lower or impair in quality; corrupt or vitiate; pervert.
  • Figuratively, to spoil; dismantle; render unserviceable.
  • To riot; revel.
  • noun Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; drunkenness; gluttony; lewdness.
  • noun An act or a period of debauchery.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Excess in eating or drinking; intemperance; drunkenness; lewdness; debauchery.
  • noun An act or occasion of debauchery.
  • verb To lead away from purity or excellence; to corrupt in character or principles; to mar; to vitiate; to pollute; to seduce

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An act of debauchery.
  • noun An orgy.
  • verb transitive to morally corrupt (someone); to seduce
  • verb transitive to debase (something); to lower the value of (something)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
  • verb corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French débaucher, from Old French desbauchier, to lead astray, roughhew timber : des-, de- + bauch, beam, of Germanic origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1590s, from Middle French desbaucher ("entice from work or duty"), from Old French desbaucher ("to lead astray"), from des- + bauch ("beam"), from Frankish *balko, from Proto-Germanic *balkô, from Proto-Indo-European *bhelg- (“beam, plank”); latter origin of balk.

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  • In addition, debauch is an adjective meaning debauched.

    September 8, 2011