Definition of "degenerate"

degenerate

/dɪˈdʒɛnəɹɪt/

adjective
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.
  Quotations
  faint-hearted and degenerate king
  1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3
  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.
  2013 March, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist‎, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 4 January 2017, page 83
2. (of a human or system) Having lost good or desirable qualities.
  Quotations
  As you grew more degenerate and base, I sent you millions of the croaking race
  1726, Jonathan Swift, Verses on St. Patrick's Well
3. (of an encoding or function) Having multiple domain elements correspond to one element of the range.
4. (mathematics) Qualitatively different, usually simpler, than typical objects of its class.
  Quotations
  We now apply the geometrical construction explained in the appendix to the degenerate triangle ABC.
  1921, A. Hay, “Phase Transformation and Phase Balancing”, in Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, volume 4, page 102
5. (mathematics, of an eigenvalue) Having multiple different (linearly independent) eigenvectors.
6. (physics) Having the same quantum energy level.
noun
plural degenerates
1. One who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature; an immoral or corrupt person.
verb
third-person singular simple present degenerates, present participle degenerating, simple past and past participle degenerated
1. (intransitive) To lose good or desirable qualities.
  Quotations
  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.
  1870, Shirley Hibberd, Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste, page 170
2. (transitive) To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.

Definition of "degenerate"

degenerate

adjective

Quotations

Quotations

Quotations

noun

verb

Quotations