degeneration
Americannoun
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the process of degenerating.
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the condition or state of being degenerate.
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Pathology.
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a process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue.
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the condition produced by such a process.
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noun
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the process of degenerating
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the state of being degenerate
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biology the loss of specialization, function, or structure by organisms and their parts, as in the development of vestigial organs
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impairment or loss of the function and structure of cells or tissues, as by disease or injury, often leading to death (necrosis) of the involved part
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the resulting condition
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electronics negative feedback of a signal
Other Word Forms
- nondegeneration noun
Etymology
Origin of degeneration
First recorded in 1475–85, degeneration is from the Late Latin word dēgenerātiōn- (stem of dēgenerātiō ). See de-, generation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She has macular degeneration and is considered legally blind, though she has been able to function at home.
From MarketWatch
If your pain is from nerve compression, a disc issue or joint degeneration, inactivity can cause muscles to tighten, pain to worsen, loss of physical condition and more debility.
From Science Daily
In the United States, age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of permanent vision loss in adults who are 60 and older.
From Science Daily
Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish—retained critical and popular esteem, but most were ignored by middle-class tastemakers or maligned as conduits of cultural degeneration.
"Free oxygen radicals damage proteins, which causes them to misfold and aggregate, then fatty protein deposits called drusen begin to accumulate, which is the main diagnostic criterion for the dry form of age-related macular degeneration."
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
