English → Latin
“degenerate” in Latin
dēgenerōto degenerate, deteriorate; to be inferior to ancestors; to corrupt, render degeneratedmagnusgreat, large, big; (of things) vast, extensive, spacious (of physical size or quantity); great, grand, mighty, noble, lodēgenerof inferior stock, low-born; inferior to one’s predecessors, degenerateavisa bird; omen; portentValeriusName of a patrician Roman gens.
The English word degenerate itself goes back to Latin dēgenerō, through dēgenerātus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
degenerate v.
degenerare: degenerare in feritatem (to grow wild again, of trees): degenerare a parentibus (degenerate from ancestors, of children).
degenerate
indignus parentibus or majoribus: degener (poetical and post-classical prose; ☞ degeneratus, Valerius, Max.): a degenerate age, aetas pejor parentibus or avis (after Hor.). If “degenerate” is used vaguely to denote “corruption,” Vid: CORRUPT.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for degenerate?
- The usual Latin words for “degenerate” are dēgenerō, magnus, dēgener; also avis, Valerius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.