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Webster 1913 Edition

Degenerate

De-gen′er-ate

,
Adj.
[L.
degeneratus
, p. p. of
degenerare
to degenerate, cause to degenerate, fr.
degener
base, degenerate, that departs from its race or kind;
de-
+
genus
race, kind. See
Kin
relationship.]
Having become worse than one’s kind, or one's former state; having declined in worth; having lost in goodness; deteriorated; degraded; unworthy; base; low.
Faint-hearted and
degenerate
king.
Shakespeare
A
degenerate
and degraded state.
Milton.
Degenerate
from their ancient blood.
Swift.
These
degenerate
days.
Pope.
I had planted thee a noble vine . . . : how then art thou turned into the
degenerate
plant of a strange vine unto me?
Jer. ii. 21.

De-gen′er-ate

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Degenerated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Degenerating
.]
1.
To be or grow worse than one's kind, or than one was originally; hence, to be inferior; to grow poorer, meaner, or more vicious; to decline in good qualities; to deteriorate.
When wit transgresseth decency, it
degenerates
into insolence and impiety.
Tillotson.
2.
(Biol.)
To fall off from the normal quality or the healthy structure of its kind; to become of a lower type.

Webster 1828 Edition

Degenerate

DEGENERATE

,
Verb.
I.
[L. Grown worse, ignoble, base.]
1.
To become worse; to decay in good qualities; to pass from a good to a bad or worse state; to lose or suffer a diminution of valuable qualities, either in the natural or moral world. In the natural world, plants and animals degenerate when they grow to a less size than usual, or lose a part of the valuable qualities which belong to the species. In the moral world, men degenerate when they decline in virtue, or other good qualities. Manners degenerate when they become corrupt. Wit may degenerate into indecency or impiety.

DEGENERATE

, a.
1.
Having fallen from a perfect or good state into a less excellent or worse state; having lost something of the good qualities possessed; having declined in natural or moral worth.
The degenerate plant of a strange vine. Jer. 2.
2.
Low; base; mean; corrupt; fallen from primitive or natural excellence; having lost the good qualities of the species. Man is considered a degenerate being. A coward is a man of degenerate spirit.

Definition 2024

degenerate

degenerate

English

Adjective

degenerate ‎(comparative more degenerate, superlative most degenerate)

  1. (of qualities) Having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal, coherent, balanced and desirable to undesirable and typically abnormal.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      faint-hearted and degenerate king
    • (Can we date this quote?) Jonathan Swift
      degenerate from their ancient blood
    • 2013 March 1, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 83:
      It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.
  2. (of a human or system) Having lost good or desirable qualities.
  3. (of an encoding or function) Having multiple domain elements correspond to one element of the range.
    The genetic code is degenerate because a single amino acid can be coded by one of several codons.
  4. (mathematics) A degenerate case is a limiting case in which a class of object changes its nature so as to belong to another, usually simpler, class.
  5. (physics) Having the same quantum energy level.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

degenerate ‎(plural degenerates)

  1. One is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature.
    In the cult of degenerates, acts of decency, kindness and modesty could be seen as acts of apostasy.

Translations

Verb

degenerate ‎(third-person singular simple present degenerates, present participle degenerating, simple past and past participle degenerated)

  1. (intransitive) To lose good or desirable qualities.
    His condition continued to degenerate even after admission to hospital.
    • 1870, Shirley Hibberd, Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste (page 170)
      Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music.
  2. (transitive) To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.

Derived terms

Translations

Italian

Adjective

degenerate

  1. feminine plural of degenerato

Noun

degenerate f

  1. plural of degenerata

Verb

degenerate

  1. inflection of degenerare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

degenerate

  1. feminine plural of degenerato

Latin

Verb

dēgenerāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēgenerō

Etymology

From Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare ‎(“to degenerate”), from degener ‎(“ignoble”), from de ‎(“from, down”) + genus ‎(“race, kind”); see genus, general.

Pronunciation

  • (adjective, noun) IPA(key): /dɪˈdʒɛnəɹət/
  • (verb) IPA(key): /dɪˈdʒɛnəɹeɪt/

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