degenerate
English edit
Etymology edit
Learned borrowing from Latin dēgenerātus. By surface analysis, de- + generate.
Pronunciation edit
- (adjective, noun) IPA(key): /dɪˈdʒɛnəɹɪt/
- (verb) IPA(key): /dɪˈdʒɛnəɹeɪt/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Adjective edit
degenerate (comparative more degenerate, superlative most degenerate)
- (of qualities) Having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal, coherent, balanced and desirable to undesirable and typically abnormal.
- 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3:
- faint-hearted and degenerate king
- 2013 March, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist[1], volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 4 January 2017, 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.
- (of a human or system) Having lost good or desirable qualities.
- 1726, Jonathan Swift, Verses on St. Patrick's Well:
- As you grew more degenerate and base, I sent you millions of the croaking race
- (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.
- (mathematics) Qualitatively different, usually simpler, than typical objects of its class.
- A degenerate circle, having radius zero, consists of a single point.
- 1921, A. Hay, “Phase Transformation and Phase Balancing”, in Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, volume 4, page 102:
- We now apply the geometrical construction explained in the appendix to the degenerate triangle ABC.
- (mathematics, of an eigenvalue) Having multiple different (linearly independent) eigenvectors.
- (physics) Having the same quantum energy level.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal
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having lost good or desirable qualities
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having multiple domain elements correspond to one element of the range
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having the same quantum energy level
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Noun edit
degenerate (plural degenerates)
- One who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature; an immoral or corrupt person.
- In the cult of degenerates, acts of decency, kindness and modesty could be seen as acts of apostasy.
Translations edit
one who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature
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Verb edit
degenerate (third-person singular simple present degenerates, present participle degenerating, simple past and past participle degenerated)
- (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.
- (transitive) To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
- regenerate (verb), ungenerate (verb)
Translations edit
to lose good or desirable qualities
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to cause to lose good or desirable qualities
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Further reading edit
- “degenerate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “degenerate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Italian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Adjective edit
degenerate
Participle edit
degenerate f pl
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
degenerate f
- plural of degenerata
Etymology 3 edit
Verb edit
degenerate
- inflection of degenerare:
Latin edit
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /deː.ɡe.neˈraː.te/, [d̪eːɡɛnɛˈräːt̪ɛ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /de.d͡ʒe.neˈra.te/, [d̪ed͡ʒeneˈräːt̪e]
Verb edit
dēgenerāte
Spanish edit
Verb edit
degenerate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of degenerar combined with te