Hypertext Webster Gateway: "degeneration"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Degeneration \De*gen`er*a"tion\, n. [Cf. F.
d['e]g['e]n['e]ration.]
1. The act or state of growing worse, or the state of having
become worse; decline; degradation; debasement;
degeneracy; deterioration.

Our degeneration and apostasy. --Bates.

2. (Physiol.) That condition of a tissue or an organ in which
its vitality has become either diminished or perverted; a
substitution of a lower for a higher form of structure;
as, fatty degeneration of the liver.

3. (Biol.) A gradual deterioration, from natural causes, of
any class of animals or plants or any particular organ or
organs; hereditary degradation of type.

4. The thing degenerated. [R.]

Cockle, aracus, . . . and other degenerations. --Sir
T. Browne.

{Amyloid degeneration}, {Caseous degeneration}, etc. See
under {Amyloid}, {Caseous}, etc.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

degeneration
n 1: the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of
effective power or vitality or essential quality
2: the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities
[syn: {degeneracy}, {decadence}, {decadency}]
3: passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form
[syn: {retrogression}]


Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup

Enter word here:
Exact Approx


dict.stokkie.net
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents; see the Webster Gateway FAQ, and also the Back-end/database links and credits.