demote

de- (“down”) +‎ promote (“advance in rank/status (ending abstracted)”) [1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈməʊt/

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• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈmoʊt/
• Rhymes: -əʊt

demote (third-person singular simple present demotes, present participle demoting, simple past and past participle demoted)

1. (transitive) To lower the rank or status of.

   James was demoted from branch manager to assistant manager due to his poor discipline.

   • 1984, Ronald C. Egan, The Literary Works of Ou-yang Hsiu (1007-72)‎, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 93:

     In 1036, shortly after arriving at Yi-ling, Ou-yang Hsiu sent a lengthy letter to his friend, Yin Shu, who had been demoted at the same time as Ou-yang Hsiu and sent to Ying-chou (modern Chung-hsiang, Hupeh).

2. (transitive) To relegate.

• (antonym(s) of “lower the rank of”): promote

• emoted

dēmōte

1. vocative masculine singular of dēmōtus