Debasement's the practice of lowering the value of currency. It's particularly used in connection with commodity money such as gold or silver coins. A coin's said to be debased if the quantity of gold, silver, copper or nickel's reduced. Examples For example, the value of the denarius in Roman currency gradually decreased over time as the Roman government altered both the size and the silver content of the coin. Originally, the silver used was nearly pure, weighing about 4.5 grams. From time to… (More on Debasement)