DCHP-1 Online
degrade [< Cdn F dégradé < F dégradér of ships, be turned off course by wind, tide, etc.] Fur Trade, Obs. 
n. a stop-over enforced by high winds, etc. (often in the phrase make a degrade).
- 1793 (1933) [We] Left the place of our Degrade and made five Leagues which brought us to the end of the lake. . . .
- 1933 When the Canadians were forced by adverse winds to land and wait for more favorable sailing conditions, they were said to have made a "degrade."
- 1793 (1933) [We] Left the place of our Degrade and made five Leagues which brought us to the end of the lake. . . .