different between degenerate vs retrograde

English

Etymology

From Latin d?gener?tus, perfect passive participle of d?gener? (“to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality”), from d?gener (“inferior to one’s predecessors”), from d?- (“off, away from”) +? genus (“birth, descent”); see genus.

Analyzable as de- +? generate

Pronunciation

• (adjective, noun) IPA^(key): /d??d??n???t/
• (verb) IPA^(key): /d??d??n??e?t/

Adjective

degenerate (comparative more degenerate, superlative most degenerate)

1. (of qualities) Having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal, coherent, balanced and desirable to undesirable and typically abnormal.

   • faint-hearted and degenerate king
2. (of a human or system) Having lost good or desirable qualities.
   • 1726, Jonathan Swift, Verses on St. Patrick's Well

     As you grew more degenerate and base, I sent you millions of the croaking race

3. (of an encoding or function) Having multiple domain elements correspond to one element of the range.

   The genetic code is degenerate because a single amino acid can be coded by one of several codons.

4. (mathematics, of an eigenvalue) Having multiple different (linearly independent) eigenvectors.
5. (physics) Having the same quantum energy level.

Derived terms

• (physics) degenerate matter

Translations

Noun

degenerate (plural degenerates)

1. One who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature; an immoral person.

   In the cult of degenerates, acts of decency, kindness and modesty could be seen as acts of apostasy.

Translations

Verb

degenerate (third-person singular simple present degenerates, present participle degenerating, simple past and past participle degenerated)

1. (intransitive) To lose good or desirable qualities.

   His condition continued to degenerate even after admission to hospital.

   • 1870, Shirley Hibberd, Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste (page 170)

     Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music.

2. (transitive) To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.

Derived terms

• degeneration

Translations

References

Further reading

• degenerate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• degenerate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Italian

Adjective

degenerate

1. feminine plural of degenerato

Noun

degenerate f

1. plural of degenerata

Verb

degenerate

1. inflection of degenerare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

degenerate

1. feminine plural of degenerato

Latin

Verb

d?gener?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of d?gener?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???t?????e?d/

Etymology 1

From Middle English [Term?], from Latin retr?gradus, from retr? (“backwards”) + gradus (“step”).

Adjective

retrograde (comparative more retrograde, superlative most retrograde)

1. Directed backwards, retreating; reverting, especially to an inferior state, declining; inverse, reverse; movement opposite to normal or intended motion, often circular motion.

   retrograde ideas, morals, etc.

   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 74]:

     Such retrograde people still exist, resisting modernity, dragging their feet.

2. Counterproductive to a desired outcome.
   • 1601 - William Shakespeare, Hamlet Act I Scene ii.

     In going back to school in Wittenberg, / It is most retrograde to our desire:/ And we beseech you, bend you to remain

3. (astronomy, of a body orbiting another) In the opposite direction to the orbited body's spin.
4. (geology) Describing a metamorphic change resulting from a decreasing pressure or temperature.
5. (by extension, of a person) A person who opposes social reforms, favoring the maintenance of the status quo, conservative.

Synonyms

• traditionalist
• reactionary

Antonyms

• liberal
• reformist
• progressist

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

retrograde (plural retrogrades)

1. A degenerate person.
2. (music) The reversal of a melody so that what is played first in the original melody is played last and what is played last in the original melody is played first.

Translations

Etymology 3

From Latin retr?gradior or Late Latin retrogredere (retro- (“back”) + gradi (“walk”)).

Verb

retrograde (third-person singular simple present retrogrades, present participle retrograding, simple past and past participle retrograded)

1. (intransitive) To move backwards; to recede; to retire; to decline; to revert.
2. (intransitive, astronomy) To show retrogradation.

Antonyms

• prograde
• direct

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• retrogarde

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

retrograde

1. inflection of retrograd:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

retrograde

1. feminine plural of retrogrado

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ret?o???ade/, [re.t??o????a.ð?e]

Verb

retrograde

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of retrogradar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of retrogradar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of retrogradar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of retrogradar.