Pejoration Definition

pĕjə-rāshən, pējə-

noun

The taking on of a less favorable meaning or connotation.

Webster's New World

The process or condition of worsening or degenerating.

American Heritage

The process by which the meaning of a word becomes negative or disparaging over a period of time, as silly, from Middle English seely, “blessed, innocent,” has come to mean “showing a lack of good sense, frivolous.”

American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Pejoration

Noun

Singular:

pejoration

Plural:

pejorations

Origin of Pejoration

Medieval Latin pēiōrātiō pēiōrātiōn- from Late Latin pēiōrātus past participle of pēiōrāre to make worse from Latin pēior worse ped- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin peior (“worse")

From Wiktionary