The Definition Of Degenerate
- Having declined, as in function or nature, from a former or original state: a degenerate form of an ancient folk art. Morally corrupt or given to vice.
- ‘A partly degenerate consensus sequence was created from the Aspergillus and Penicillium sequences to evaluate the statistical significance of this alignment.’ ‘This region was found to consist of degenerate heptanucleotide repeats that fold into a hairpin structure allowing base pairing of the repeats.’.
- Henry Labouchere. An English journalist politician; born London, 1831. Was diplomatic service, part time at Washington, member Parliament. Advanced republican, used Truth, journal established by him in 1876 as a society and political organ, for the promulgation of.
- The definition of degenerate is someone or something that has lost their former good character or morality. An example of something that would be described as degenerate is an immoral society.
To get worse and enter an unpleasant state. Concerts always seem to degenerate into chaos once it's time to leave the venue. If you don't exercise regularly, your muscles will degenerate into mush.
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to degenerate: Degenerate matter
de·gen·er·ate
(dĭ-jĕn′ər-ĭt)adj.1. Having declined, as in function or nature, from a former or original state: a degenerate form of an ancient folk art.
3. Physics Relating to two or more quantum states that share the same quantum numbers: degenerate energy levels.
4. Physics Characterized by great density and consisting of atoms stripped of electrons: degenerate matter.
5. Medicine Characterized by degeneration, as of tissue, a cell, or an organ.
6. Biology Having lost one or more highly developed functions, characteristics, or structures through evolution: a degenerate life form.
7. Genetics Relating to or being a gene that has multiple codons for the same amino acid.
n.
intr.v.(-ə-rāt′)de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing, de·gen·er·ates1. To fall below a normal or desirable state, especially functionally or morally; deteriorate: old water pipes that are degenerating with age; a dispute that degenerated into a brawl.
2. To decline in quality: The quality of his writing degenerated as he continued to drink.
[Latin dēgenerātus, past participle of dēgenerāre, to depart from one's own kind, deteriorate : dē-, de- + genus, gener-, race; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]
de·gen′er·ate·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
degenerate
vb (intr)2. (Biology) biology (of organisms or their parts) to become less specialized or functionally useless
adj3. having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, moral, or physical level; debased; degraded; corrupt
4. (General Physics) physicsa. (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. (Communications & Information) (of a code) containing symbols that represent more than one letter, figure, etc
6. (Botany) (of a plant or animal) having undergone degeneration
n
[C15: from Latin dēgenerāre, from dēgener departing from its kind, ignoble, from de- + genus origin, race]
deˈgeneratenessn
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•gen•er•ate
(v. dɪˈdʒɛn əˌreɪt; adj., n. -ər ɪt)v. -at•ed, -at•ing,
adj., n.
v.i. 1. to decline in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
2. to diminish in quality; fall from a high or normal standard: The debate degenerated into a brawl.
3. (of an organ or tissue) to lose structure or function.
4. (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to lose function or structural organization in the course of evolution, as the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.
adj. 5. having declined in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded.
6. having lost the qualities proper to the race or kind: a degenerate vine.
7. characterized by or associated with degeneracy.
8. Physics. a. (of modes of vibration of a system) having the same frequency.
b. (of quantum states of a system) having equal energy.
n. 9. a person who has declined, esp. in morals, from a type considered standard.
10. a person or thing that reverts to an earlier stage of culture, development, or evolution.
[1485–95; < Latin dēgenerātus, past participle of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard; see generate]
de•gen′er•ate•ness,n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
degenerate
Past participle: degenerated
Gerund: degenerating
| Imperative |
|---|
| degenerate |
| degenerate |
| Present |
|---|
| I degenerate |
| you degenerate |
| he/she/it degenerates |
| we degenerate |
| you degenerate |
| they degenerate |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I degenerated |
| you degenerated |
| he/she/it degenerated |
| we degenerated |
| you degenerated |
| they degenerated |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am degenerating |
| you are degenerating |
| he/she/it is degenerating |
| we are degenerating |
| you are degenerating |
| they are degenerating |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have degenerated |
| you have degenerated |
| he/she/it has degenerated |
| we have degenerated |
| you have degenerated |
| they have degenerated |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was degenerating |
| you were degenerating |
| he/she/it was degenerating |
| we were degenerating |
| you were degenerating |
| they were degenerating |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had degenerated |
| you had degenerated |
| he/she/it had degenerated |
| we had degenerated |
| you had degenerated |
| they had degenerated |
| Future |
|---|
| I will degenerate |
| you will degenerate |
| he/she/it will degenerate |
| we will degenerate |
| you will degenerate |
| they will degenerate |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have degenerated |
| you will have degenerated |
| he/she/it will have degenerated |
| we will have degenerated |
| you will have degenerated |
| they will have degenerated |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be degenerating |
| you will be degenerating |
| he/she/it will be degenerating |
| we will be degenerating |
| you will be degenerating |
| they will be degenerating |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been degenerating |
| you have been degenerating |
| he/she/it has been degenerating |
| we have been degenerating |
| you have been degenerating |
| they have been degenerating |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been degenerating |
| you will have been degenerating |
| he/she/it will have been degenerating |
| we will have been degenerating |
| you will have been degenerating |
| they will have been degenerating |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been degenerating |
| you had been degenerating |
| he/she/it had been degenerating |
| we had been degenerating |
| you had been degenerating |
| they had been degenerating |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would degenerate |
| you would degenerate |
| he/she/it would degenerate |
| we would degenerate |
| you would degenerate |
| they would degenerate |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have degenerated |
| you would have degenerated |
| he/she/it would have degenerated |
| we would have degenerated |
| you would have degenerated |
| they would have degenerated |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
| Noun | 1. | degenerate - a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior deviant, deviate, pervert fetishist - one who engages in fetishism (especially of a sexual nature) nympho, nymphomaniac - a woman with abnormal sexual desires child molester, paederast - a man who has sex (usually sodomy) with a boy as the passive partner miscreant, reprobate - a person without moral scruples lech, lecher, letch, satyr - man with strong sexual desires sodomist - someone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male) |
| Verb | 1. | degenerate - grow worse; 'Her condition deteriorated'; 'Conditions in the slums degenerated'; 'The discussion devolved into a shouting match' fatigue, jade, tire, weary, pall - lose interest or become bored with something or somebody; 'I'm so tired of your mother and her complaints about my food' languish, fade - become feeble; 'The prisoner has be languishing for years in the dungeon' rot, waste - become physically weaker; 'Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world' decline, worsen - grow worse; 'Conditions in the slum worsened' |
| Adj. | 1. | degenerate - unrestrained by convention or morality; 'Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society'; 'deplorably dissipated and degraded'; 'riotous living'; 'fast women' debauched, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, profligate, riotous, fast immoral - deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
degenerate
verb
1.decline, slip, sink, decrease, deteriorate, worsen, rot, decay, lapse, fall off, regress, go to pot, retrogressHe degenerated into drug and alcohol abuse.
adjective1.depraved, base, corrupt, fallen, low, perverted, degraded, degenerated, immoral, decadent, debased, debauched, dissolute, pervy(slang)the degenerate attitudes he found among some of his fellow officers
noun1.pervert, deviant, profligate, libertine, reprobate, debaucheea degenerate who died from his perverted excesses
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
degenerate
adjectiveUtterly reprehensible in nature or behavior:corrupt, depraved, flagitious, miscreant, perverse, rotten, unhealthy, villainous.
verb1. To become lower in quality, character, or condition:
atrophy, decline, descend, deteriorate, retrograde, sink, worsen.
Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed , go to the dogs.
2. To lose strength or power:decline, deteriorate, fade, fail, flag, languish, sink, wane, waste (away), weaken.
Idioms: go downhill, hit the skids.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
degenerovanýdegenerovaný člověkrostlinazkaženýzvrhnout se
degenereredegenereretdegenereret personforfalden fabrik
òróast út í, enda íúrkynjaîur, spilltur
degeneruotiišsigimėlisišsigimęsišsigimtipasileidėlis
deģenerātsdeģenerējiesdeģenerētiesizdzimtenisizvirtis
izpriditi seizprijenec
bozulmakdejenere olmuşyozlaşmakyozlaşmışyozlaşmış/dejenere olmuş kimse/şey
degenerate
B.[dɪˈdʒenərɪt]N → degenerado/a m/f
C.[dɪˈdʒenəreɪt]VI → degenerar (into en) the debate degenerated into a shouting match → el debatedegeneró en una discusióna voz en grito
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
degenerate
[dɪˈdʒɛnəreɪt]vi (= get worse) [situation, health] → dégénérer
to degenerate into sth → dégénérer en qch
to degenerate into sth → dégénérer en qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
degenerate
n →
vi → degenerieren; (people, morals also) → entarten; the demonstration degenerated into violence → die Demonstrationartete in Gewalttätigkeiten aus
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
degenerate
[vb dɪˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt; adj, n dɪˈdʒɛn/ərɪt]2.adj (person) → degenere; (morals, art) → degenerato/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
degenerate
(diˈdʒenərət) adjective having become immoral or inferior. the degenerate son of well-respected parents. ontaard, versleg مُنْحَل، مُنْحَط изроден degenerado zkažený, degenerovaný verkommen degenereret εκφυλισμένος, έκφυλοςdegenerado allakäinud گمراه؛ ناباب paheellinen dégénéré לְהִתנָוֵון भ्रष्ट, विकृत, अपभ्रष्ट izopačen, izrođen degenerált bejat úrkynjaður, spilltur degenere 堕落した 타락하다 pasileidęs, išsigimęs deģenerējies; izvirtis merosot ontaarddegenerert, fallen wyrodny كم اصل، منحط، فاسد degenerado a degenera дегенеративный degenerovaný izprijen izopačen degenererad, vansläktad ที่เสื่อมลง yozlaşmış, dejenere olmuş 墮落的，退化的 такий, що вироджується اخلاقی طور پر زوال پزیر ہونا thoái hóa 堕落的，腐化的
noun a person, plant etc that is degenerate. ontaarde, gedegenereerde مُنْحَط، فاسِد дегенерат degenerado degenerovaný člověk, rostlina die Entartung degenereret person; forfalden fabrik έκφυλοςdegenerado degenerant تباه؛ فاسد شده turmeltunut dégénéré/-ée מְנוּוָן भ्रष्ट degenerirati, izobličiti se korcs rusak úrkynjaður, spilltur degenerato 堕落したもの 타락자 išsigimėlis, pasileidėlis deģenerāts; izdzimtenis kemerosotan ontaarde degenerert zwyrodnialec, osobnik zwyrodniały كمسل كېدل، ټيټېدل، فاسدېدل degenerado degenerat дегенерат degenerovaný človek (rastlina ap.) izprijenec degenerik degenererad individ คนทราม; พืชที่เสื่อมลง yozlaşmış/dejenere olmuş kimse/şey 墮落的人，腐化分子，退化的植物 виродок, дегенерат نسلی تنزّل کا شکار ، زوال پزیر người hoặc vật thoái hóa 堕落者，腐化分子
(-reit) verb to become much less good or admirable. The discussion degenerated into insults. ontaard, versleg يَنْحَطُّ израждам се degenerar zvrhnout se herabsinken degenerere εκφυλίζομαι, ξεπέφτωdegenerar manduma تنزل کردن taantua dégénérer לְהִידַרדֵר बिगड़ जाना izroditi se elfajul merosot þróast út í, enda í degenerare 堕落する 저하되다 išsigimti, degeneruoti deģenerēties mundur ontaardenutarte, degenerere zwyrodnieć, przerodzić się كښته راتلل degenerar a degenera ухудшаться zvrhnúť sa izpriditi se izroditi se degenerera, urarta ทำให้แย่ลง bozulmak, yozlaşmak 墮落，變質 вироджуватися کسی کمتر نوع یا قسم میں بدلا ہوا thoái hóa 堕落，变质
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
de·gen·er·ate
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
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What Does Degenerate Mean
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to degeneration: macular degeneration
de·gen·er·a·tion
(dĭ-jĕn′ə-rā′shən)n.2. The state of being degenerate.
3. Medicine Gradual deterioration of specific tissues, cells, or organs with corresponding impairment or loss of function, caused by injury, disease, or aging.
4. Biology The evolutionary decline or loss of a function, characteristic, or structure in an organism or species.
5. Electronics Loss of or gain in power in an amplifier caused by unintentional negative feedback.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
degeneration
(dɪˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən) n2. the state of being degenerate
3. (Biology) biology the loss of specialization, function, or structure by organisms and their parts, as in the development of vestigial organs
4. (Biology) a. impairment or loss of the function and structure of cells or tissues, as by disease or injury, often leading to death (necrosis) of the involved part
5. (Electronics) electronics negative feedback of a signal
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•gen•er•a•tion
(dɪˌdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən)n.
2. the condition or state of being degenerate.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Degeneration
go to hell in a handbasket To indulge in petty or sporadic dissipation; to carouse occasionally, in a small way; to degenerate bit by bit; gradually to go downhill morally. This slang expression is often used to describe typically adolescent anti-social behavior, usually of a temporary nature. However, it sometimes carries connotations of more serious and permanent moral decline. Its origin is unknown but it is interesting to speculate that it may be related to go to heaven in a wheelbarrow ‘to be damned’—handbasket replacing wheelbarrow to indicate the relative small-ness of one’s sins; hell replacing heaven to accommodate more literal minds. See go to heaven in a wheelbarrow, PUNISHMENT.
go to pot To deteriorate, to go downhill, to degenerate, to fall into a state of disuse or ruin. Although the exact origin of this expression is unknown, it may be related to the earlier phrase go to the pot, literally ‘to be cut into pieces like meat for the pot,’ and figuratively ‘to be ruined or destroyed.’
If it were to save the whole empire from going to pot, nobody would stay at home. (Pall Mall Gazette, February, 1884)
go to rack and ruin To degenerate, to deteriorate, to decline, to fall apart; also to go to rack and to go to ruin. Rack ‘destruction’ is a variant of wrack and wreck. The expression dates from at least 1599.
Everything would soon go to sixes and sevens, and rack and ruin. (Elizabeth Blower, George Bateman, 1782)
go to the dogs To degenerate morally or physically, to deteriorate, to go to ruin. The expression, which dates from at least the early 17th century, is thought to have come from the earlier Latin phrase addicere aliquem canibus ‘to bequeath him to dogs.’
Rugby and the school-house are going to the dogs. (Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown’s School Days, 1857)
on the high-road to Needham On the road to poverty or ruin; on the skids; suffering a mental, moral, or financial decline. This British expression, of infrequent occurrence, simply puns on need without reference to a specific locality.
on the skids On the road to poverty, ruin, disgrace, or oblivion; in a state of rapid deterioration or decline. The skids as denotative of a moral condition may derive from Skid Row. (See LOCALITY.) It appears frequently in longer phrases such as hit the skids ‘start on the downward path’ or put the skids under ‘cause the ruin or decline’ of a person or plan.
By 1929 Bix [Beiderbecke] was on the way down—not yet on the skids, but the good time and the big time was behind him. (Stephen Longstreet, The Real Jazz Old and New, 1956)
the seamy side The most disagreeable, unsavory, and offensive aspect; the sordid, perverse, degenerate, or immoral features. Literally, the seamy side refers to the wrong, or underside, of pieced fabric which shows the rough edges and seams of an otherwise acceptable article of clothing, tapestry, etc. The figurative use of the seamy side was pioneered by Shakespeare:
Oh fie upon them! Some such squire he was
That turned your wit the seamy side without,
And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
(Othello, IV, ii)
A commonly used derivative is seamy.
Picturesque Expressions: A Thematic Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1980 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
| Noun | 1. | degeneration - the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of effective power or vitality or essential quality physical process, process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states; 'events now in process'; 'the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls' attack - the onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent); 'the film was sensitive to attack by acids'; 'open to attack by the elements' obsolescence - the process of becoming obsolete; falling into disuse or becoming out of date; 'a policy of planned obsolescence' macular degeneration - eye disease caused by degeneration of the cells of the macula lutea and results in blurred vision; can cause blindness |
| 2. | degeneration - the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities abasement, abjection, degradation - a low or downcast state; 'each confession brought her into an attitude of abasement'- H.L.Menchken | |
| 3. | degeneration - passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form transformation, transmutation, shift - a qualitative change abiotrophy - a loss of vitality and a degeneration of cells and tissues not due to any apparent injury cataplasia - (biology) degenerative reversion of cells or tissue to a less differentiated or more primitive form |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
degeneration
noundeterioration, decline, dissolution, descent, regression, dissipation, degeneracy, debasementthe degeneration of our political system
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
degeneration
nounDescent to a lower level or condition:atrophy, decadence, declension, declination, decline, degeneracy, deterioration.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
degeneráltságelfajuláselkorcsosuláshanyatlás
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
degeneration
[dɪˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən]n(physical, mental) [person] → dégénérescencef; [thing] → dégénérescencefCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
degeneration
n → Degenerationf; (of people, morals also) → Entartungf
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
The Definition Of Degenerate Gambler
de·gen·er·a·tion
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
degeneration
n degeneración f; age-related macular — degeneración macular senilEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Find The Definition Of Degenerate
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