degenerate
adjective
de·gen·er·ate
| \ di-ˈjen-rət
, -ˈje-nə-, dē-\
, -ˈje-nə-, dē-\
Definition of degenerate
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state
the last degenerate member of a noble family— W. E. Swinton
b
: having sunk to a condition below that which is normal to a type
… fruit so degenerate that the insects weren't even interested …— Tamar Perla
especially
: having sunk to a lower and usually corrupt and vicious state
a degenerate schemer a despairing and degenerate world had sunk into servitude beneath him — W. L. Sullivan
c
: degraded sense 2
the functionally degenerate wings of the species
2
mathematics
: being simpler (as by having a factor or constant equal to zero) than the typical case
a degenerate hyperbola
3
physics, astronomy
: characterized by atoms stripped of their electrons and by very great density
degenerate matter
also
: consisting of degenerate matter
a degenerate star
4
physics, chemistry
: having two or more states or subdivisions especially of the same energy or frequency
degenerate energy level degenerate oscillation