cheapen

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to lower the price, quality, or dignity of something

   Flooding the market with imitations only cheapened the brand.

From cheap + -en. Cheap is from Old English cēap ('trade, bargain, price'), an early borrowing from Latin caupō ('tradesman'); the modern adjectival sense arose from the phrase 'good cheap' (a good bargain).

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