degrade

[< Cdn F dégradé < F dégradér of ships, be turned off course by wind, tide, etc.]

Fur Trade, Obs.

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

a stop-over enforced by high winds, etc. (often in the phrase make a degrade).

Quotations

1793

[We] Left the place of our Degrade and made five Leagues which brought us to the end of the lake. . . .

1933

When the Canadians were forced by adverse winds to land and wait for more favorable sailing conditions, they were said to have made a "degrade."