Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To express disapproval of; deplore.
- transitive verb To belittle; depreciate.
- transitive verb Computers To mark (a component of a software standard) as obsolete to warn against its use in the future so that it may be phased out.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To pray against; pray or entreat the removal or prevention of; pray or desire deliverance from.
- To plead or argue earnestly against; urge reasons against; express disapproval of: said of a scheme, purpose, and the like.
- To imprecate; invoke.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb archaic To pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by prayer; to seek deliverance from; to express deep regret for; to desire the removal of.
- transitive verb To protest against; to advance reasons against.
- transitive verb To disapprove of strongly; to express a low opinion of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
belittle orexpress disapproval of. - verb computing To declare something
obsolescent ; to recommend against a function, technique, command, etc. that still works but has been replaced. - verb archaic To pray against.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb belittle
- verb express strong disapproval of; deplore
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He used words like 'deprecate' and 'wanton act of violence', he adopted a tone that was selfless and a pose that was statesmanlike, but being noble wasn't enough.
Whispers Of Betrayal Dobbs, Michael, 1948- 2000
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"deprecate" in programming terminology -- bits of code.
PCWorld 2010
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"deprecate" in programming terminology -- bits of code.
PCWorld 2010
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"deprecate" in programming terminology -- bits of code.
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My question remains: why would people elect to describe themselves in a manner that is used to deprecate their group or themselves as individuals within that group?
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I deprecate whoever has leaked this, since it will lead to confusion and unnecessary concern amongst our valued personnel.
Job cut hitlist for military personnel to be unveiled by MoD 2011
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To deprecate surgery for the elderly because 32% of elderly Americans undergo surgery in the year before they die is like deprecating automobile brakes because 32% of fatal-accident victims hit the brakes in the few seconds before they die.
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I learned, from the views of social life which it developed, to admire their virtues, and to deprecate the vices of mankind.
Chapter 15 2010
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Readers adored it, though Hergé was later to deprecate this fledgling and uneven work.
Tintin & Co. Meghan Cox Gurdon 2011
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My question remains: why would people elect to describe themselves in a manner that is used to deprecate their group or themselves as individuals within that group?
milosrdenstvi commented on the word deprecate
Totally awesome in the form "I deprecate the validity of that assertion." (Technically that's more the territory of depreciate, but I've sort of merged the two words into the one that sounds good.)
August 16, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word deprecate
I'm going to appropriate that. Why do you think it veers off into depreciate? It seems like it's used just dandily.
The phrase reminds me of a class I was in once, in which one student complained that another was "marginalizing my discourse."
August 16, 2008
milosrdenstvi commented on the word deprecate
Because I generally use it more in the sense of "I don't think so" instead of "that's WRONG!"
August 16, 2008
super-logos commented on the word deprecate
I think deprecate means to affirmatively put someone or something down. It is not a bagatelle. I think one deprecates when one stands up in a crowd to denounce something or when one is in a public forum, such as a newspaper. It is an ongoing repudiation. To depreciate is to devalue or go down. A stock can depreciate in value.
August 16, 2008
whichbe commented on the word deprecate
Depreciate sounds so dramatic, like getting bescumbered. "Yer ass got depreciated!"
August 16, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word deprecate
Stop marginalizing my discourse.
(Joke alert!)
August 16, 2008
elgiad007 commented on the word deprecate
This word is commonly used to describe computer programs or library functions that have been replaced by newer or better versions (I use the logical operator "or" here to point out that a new version does not denote a better one, as in the case of some Microsoft Windows upgrades).
November 8, 2008
bilby commented on the word deprecate
I finally found an example of the usage elgiad is referring to:
"Amazon Ecommerce Web Service 3.0 has been deprecated after many years of useful service on March 31st 2008. Please upgrade to the Amazon Associates Web Service 4.0 as detailed in the migration guide."
- notice on websters-online-dictionary.org
January 29, 2009
jjackel commented on the word deprecate
elgiad007 is on the right track. In computer programming, deprecated means that the developer of a framework will no longer support a particular function or method. It does not necessarily mean there is a direct replacement. Sometimes the developer takes a completely different approach to a problem. Nonetheless, a deprecated method often continues to work for a time. When the developer declares a method deprecated, s/he is explicitly breaking the implied contract that new versions of a framework will work with older programs, preparing programmers and users for the possibility that their stuff may no longer work or may stop working someday.
January 7, 2010