- de|gen´er|ate|ness
- de|gen|er|ate «verb. dih JEHN uh rayt; adjective, noun. dih JEHN uhr iht», verb, -at|ed, -at|ing, adjective, noun.–v.i.1. to grow worse; decline in physical, mental, or moral qualities: »
His health degenerated with disease and old age. How the son degenerates from the sire! (Alexander Pope).
SYNONYM(S): deteriorate.2. Biology. to sink to a lower type; lose the normal or more highly developed characteristics of one's race or kind: »The eyes of the electric eel are cloudy, degenerated, and useless in adult life (A. W. Haslett).
SYNONYM(S): deteriorate.–adj.1. that has degenerated; showing a decline in physical, mental, or moral qualities: »The thief was a degenerate member of a fine family.
2. Biology. that has lost the normal or more highly developed characteristics of its race or kind.3. Quantum Mechanics. having the low quantum states composed of atoms with very dense electrons and nuclei: »degenerate matter.
4. Genetics. that codes redundantly for a particular or the same amino acid: »a degenerate codon. Is the [genetic] code degenerate, that is, does more than one kind of triplet correspond to a particular amino acid? (J. M. Thoday and J. A. Pateman).
–n.a degenerate person; person having an evil or unwholesome character: »Only a degenerate could have committed such a horrible crime.
SYNONYM(S): deviate.╂[< Latin dēgenerāre (with English -ate1) depart from one's race or kind, ultimately < dē- from + genus, generis race, kind]–de|gen´er|ate|ly, adverb.–de|gen´er|ate|ness, noun.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
