the process of becoming worse or less acceptable in quality or condition 蜕化;衰退;堕落 social/moral degeneration 社会倒退;道德沦丧 Intensive farming in the area has caused severe degeneration of the land. 这个地区的集约化农业使得土壤严重贫瘠化。 The condition causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. 这种情况会导致渐进性肌肉退化和虚弱。 Speech degeneration often occurs in children who become deaf after acquiring language. 语言退化经常发生在习得语言后变聋的儿童身上。
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from late Latin degeneratio(n-), from the verb degenerare, from degener ‘debased’, from de- ‘away from’ + genus, gener- ‘race, kind’.