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| de·gen·er·ate [ di jénnə ràyt ] |
intransitive verb (past and past participle de·gen·er·at·ed, present participle de·gen·er·at·ing, 3rd person present singular de·gen·er·ates) |
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| Definition: |
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1. become worse: to develop into a condition that is worse than before, worse than normal, or not as good as it should be
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2. biology become useless: to become less specialized or lose the ability to function
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refers to organisms or body parts
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adjective |
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| Definition: |
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1. in worsened condition: in a condition that is worse than normal or worse than before
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2. inferior: in a condition that is worse than an original or previous state
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3. quantum physics equal in energy: describes a system in which different quantum states have equal energy
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4. biology with reduced or absent part: describes a part, or an organism with a part, that has become reduced in size or function or lost completely during the history of its species or compared to related species
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noun (plural de·gen·er·ates) |
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| Definition: |
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somebody immoral: somebody regarded as immoral or corrupt
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| [15th century. < Latin degenerat-, past participle of degenerare "depart from your own kind" < genus "race, kind"] |
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