dē-gĕner, is (abl. degeneri, Tac. A. 12, 19), adj. [genus], that departs from its race or kind, degenerate, not genuine (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; esp. freq. in Plin. and Tac.; not in Quint. and Suet.).
I Lit.: Neoptolemum, Verg. A. 2, 549; cf. proles, Luc. 8, 693; Tac. A. 12, 62: dignitate formae haud degener, id. ib. 12, 51: hi (Galli) jam degeneres sunt, mixti, et Gallograeci vere, quod appellantur, Liv. 38, 17, 9; 38, 49, 4: canum degeneres, Plin. 11, 50, 111, § 265: aquila, id. 10, 3, 3, § 8: herbae, id. 17, 5, 3, § 33: adamantes, id. 37, 4, 15, § 58.—
β With gen.: patrii non degener oris, Ov. P. 3, 5, 7; so, sanguinis, Stat. Th. 9, 619: patriae artis, Ov. M. 11, 314: altae virtutis patrum, Sil. 10, 68; Plin. 5, 8, 8, § 44.—
II Transf., mentally or morally degenerate, ignoble, base : Muttinem sibi modum facere, degenerem Afrum! Liv. 25, 40, 12: Artabanum materna origine Arsacidem, cetera degenerem, Tac. A. 6, 42; cf.: vitā non degener, id. ib. 4, 61: non degener ad pericula, id. ib. 1, 40: degeneres animos timor arguit, Verg. A. 4, 13: animi, Luc. 6, 417: metus, id. 3, 149: questus, Val. Fl. 1, 164: preces, Tac. A. 12, 36 fin. : projectus, id. H. 3, 65 fin. : insidiae, id. A. 11, 19 et saep.—Of language: bilingues, paulatim a domestico externo sermone degeneres, Curt. 7, 5, 29.—Poet.: toga (for togati), Luc. 1, 365.—With abl. ( = indignus): degener haud Gracchis consul, Sil. 4, 5, 17: tantoduce, Ambros. de Jacob. 2, 11, 45.