degeneracy

[ dih-jen-er-uh-see ]

noun

1. degenerate state or character.
2. the process of degenerating; decline.
3. degenerate behavior, especially behavior considered sexually deviant.
4. Physics. the number of distinct quantum states of a system that have a given energy.

degeneracy

/ dɪˈdʒɛnərəsɪ /

noun

1. the act or state of being degenerate
2. the process of becoming degenerate
3. physics the number of degenerate quantum states of a particular orbital, degree of freedom, energy level, etc

Other Words From

• nonde·gener·a·cy noun plural nondegeneracies
• prede·gener·a·cy noun
• unde·gener·a·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of degeneracy¹

First recorded in 1655–65; degener(ate) + -acy

Example Sentences

It would be unfair to place the sole blame for the degeneracy of civil norms on one segment of the public.

From Salon

Naturally, as the five of us have grown and dabbled in our own intermittent spates of degeneracy, we’ve become more privy to our parents' young adult lore.

From Salon

Passed before women obtained the right to vote, the Comstock Act was very much a reflection of its era—a time when fringe physicians literally warned women that failing to become a mother before age 25 risked a “continuous tendency to degeneracy of and atrophy of the reproductive organs.”

From Slate

This technique enabled the team to visualise a tell-tale feature in the electronic structure of a suspected altermagnet: the splitting of electronic bands corresponding to different spin states, known as the lifting of Kramers spin degeneracy.

From Science Daily

However, antiferromagnets should not exhibit lifted Kramers spin degeneracy by the magnetic order, whereas ferromagnets or altermagnets should.

From Science Daily