degenerate
Use Degenerate in a sentence
de·gen·er·ate
[v. dih-jen-uh-reyt; adj., n. dih-jen-er-it] verb, de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing, adjective, noun 
əˌreɪt; verb (used without object)
1.
to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate: The morale of the soldiers degenerated, and they were unable to fight.
2.
to diminish in quality, especially from a former state of coherence, balance, integrity, etc.: The debate degenerated into an exchange of insults.
3.
Pathology. to lose functional activity, as a tissue or organ.
4.
Evolution. (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to revert to a simple, less highly organized, or less functionally active type, as a parasitic plant that has lost its taproot or the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.
verb (used with object)
5.
to cause degeneration in; bring about a decline, deterioration, or reversion in.
00:10
Degenerate
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is designate. Does it mean:
| to nominate or select for a duty, office, purpose, etc.; appoint; assign. |
| to reduce in quality or value; adulterate: |
adjective
6.
having fallen below a normal or desirable level, especially in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded: a degenerate king.
7.
having lost, or become impaired with respect to, the qualities proper to the race or kind: a degenerate vine.
8.
characterized by or associated with degeneracy: degenerate times.
9.
Mathematics. pertaining to a limiting case of a mathematical system that is more symmetrical or simpler in form than the general case.
10.
Physics.
a.
(of modes of vibration of a system) having the same frequency.
b.
(of quantum states of a system) having equal energy.
Origin:
1485–95; < Latin dēgenerātus (past participle of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard), equivalent to dē de- + gener-, stem of genus race (see genus) + -ātus -ate1; see generate
1485–95; < Latin dēgenerātus (past participle of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard), equivalent to dē de- + gener-, stem of genus race (see genus) + -ātus -ate1; see generate
Related forms
de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverb
de·gen·er·ate·ness, noun
non·de·gen·er·ate, adjective, noun
non·de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverb
non·de·gen·er·ate·ness, noun
pre·de·gen·er·ate, adjective
un·de·gen·er·ate, adjective
un·de·gen·er·at·ed, adjective
un·de·gen·er·at·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. worsen, decline, backslide, retrogress.
1. worsen, decline, backslide, retrogress.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To degenerate
Collins
World English Dictionary
| degenerate | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to become degenerate |
| 2. | biology (of organisms or their parts) to become less specialized or functionally useless |
| —adj | |
| 3. | having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, moral, or physical level; debased; degraded; corrupt |
| 4. | physics |
| a. (of the constituents of a system) having the same energy but different wave functions | |
| b. (of a semiconductor) containing a similar number of electrons in the conduction band to the number of electrons in the conduction band of metals | |
| c. (of a resonant device) having two or more modes of equal frequency | |
| 5. | (of a code) containing symbols that represent more than one letter, figure, etc |
| 6. | (of a plant or animal) having undergone degeneration |
| —n | |
| 7. | a degenerate person |
| [C15: from Latin dēgenerāre, from dēgener departing from its kind, ignoble, from | |
| de'generately | |
| —adv | |
| de'generateness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
degenerate
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
degenerate de·gen·er·ate (dĭ-jěn'ər-ĭt)
adj.
Characterized by degeneration, as of tissue, a cell, or an organ.
Having lost one or more highly developed functions, characteristics, or structures through evolution.
To undergo the process of degeneration.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Affected muscle groups degenerate in a fairly predictable sequence across individuals.
Flying with your little ones does not need to degenerate into a seat-kicking, crying scene straight out of a sitcom.
Without it, I might degenerate into a very dubious modality of mind.
In the absent of commitments for members, it is prone to degenerate into a talk shop.
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