Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DEP-RA-VA'TION, n. [L. depravatio. See Deprave.]

1. The act of making bad or worse; the act of corrupting.
2. The state of being made bad or worse; degeneracy; a state in which good qualities are lost, or impaired. We speak of the depravation of morals, manners or government; of the heart or mind; of nature, taste, &c.
3. Censure; defamation. [Not used.] – Shak.