• vt. 使退化；恶化
• vi. 退化；堕落
• adj. 退化的；堕落的
• n. 堕落的人

de-, 向下，离开。-gen, 出生，词源同gene, generate. 原义为偏离祖训，有损祖先名声，后引申为堕落，恶化。

degenerate (adj.)

late 15c., from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare "to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality," used of physical as well as moral qualities, from phrase de genere, from de + genus (genitive generis) "birth, descent" (see genus). The noun is from 1550s.

degenerate (v.)

1540s, from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare "fall from ancestral quality" (see degenerate (adj.)). Figurative sense of "to fall off, decline" was in Latin. Related: Degenerated; degenerating.

1. Will too much freedom make them degenerate?

太多的自由会令他们堕落 吗 ?

来自《简明英汉词典》

2. The newly emerging forces are bound to defeat what is corrupt and degenerate.

新生力量必然战胜腐朽力量.

来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3. Inactivity can make your joints stiff, and the bones may begin to degenerate.

长期不活动会导致关节僵硬，骨骼也可能开始退化。

来自辞典例句

4. From then on the whole tone of the campaign began to degenerate.

从那时起，整个活动的基调开始变质。

来自辞典例句

5. We must not allow our necessary scepticism to degenerate into cynicism.

我们不应让必要的怀疑态度滑向玩世不恭.

来自演讲部分