to undermine; to burrow
“Hoy sería impensable que Budapest entrase en la Unión. Pero como está dentro, se le permite socavar la separación de poderes y la libertad de prensa, y un discurso racista y homófobo[.]” — (please add an English translation of this quotation) Strasbourg has said what has been evident for years: Hungary is not fully a democracy. It would be unthinkable today for Budapest to enter the European Union. But as they already are in it, they can permit themselves to undermine the separation of powers and the freedom of press, as well as a racist and homophobic discourse.
Inherited from Old Spanish socavar, socauar, probably from a Latin *succavāre, *subcavāre. Cognate with Portuguese socavar. By surface analysis, so- + cavar.