Main Entry:

¹de·gen·er·ate

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈjen-rət, -ˈje-nə-, dē-\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English degenerat, from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare to degenerate, from de- + gener-, genus race, kind — more at kin

Date:

15th century

1 a: having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state b: having sunk to a condition below that which is normal to a type ; especially : having sunk to a lower and usually corrupt and vicious state c: degraded 22: being mathematically simpler (as by having a factor or constant equal to zero) than the typical case <a degenerate hyperbola>3: characterized by atoms stripped of their electrons and by very great density <degenerate matter> ; also : consisting of degenerate matter <a degenerate star>4: having two or more states or subdivisions <degenerate energy level>5: having more than one codon representing an amino acid ; also : being such a codon

synonyms see vicious

— de·gen·er·ate·ly adverb

— de·gen·er·ate·ness noun