dēgĕnĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a. [degener].
I Neutr., to depart from its race or kind, to degenerate (class.).
A Lit.: qui a vobis nihil degenerat, Cic. Phil. 13, 15: Pandione nata, degeneras! Ov. M. 6, 635: pomaque degenerant succos oblita priores, Verg. G. 2, 59; cf. id. ib. 1, 198: frumenta, Col. 2, 9, 11: surculus, id. 3, 9, 7: hordeum in avenam, Plin. 18, 17, 44, § 149; cf. id. 17, 15, 25, § 117: Macedones in Syros degenerarunt, Liv. 38, 17, 11; 9, 38, 3; Curt. 8, 5, 14. —
B Trop.
α With ab : ab hac virtute majorum, Cic. Fl. 11, 25; cf. Suet. Ner. 1; so, a gravitate paterna, Cic. Prov. Cons. 8, 18: a parentibus nostris, Liv. 22, 14: a familia imperiosissima, id. 9, 34: a civili more, Suet. Aug. 17: a fama vitaque sua, Tac. H. 3, 28: non modo a libertate sed etiam a servitute, id. G. 45 fin. : a Stoicis degeneravit Panaetius, Cic. Div. 1, 3, 6; cf. id. Tusc. 2, 25, 60.—
β With abl. alone: famā, Stat. Th. 3, 148.—
γ With dat. (poet.): degenerant nati patribus, Manil. 4, 78; so, Marti paterno, Stat. Th. 1, 464: patri, Claud. IV. Cons. Honor. 366.—
δ With ad or in and acc.: ad theatrales artes, Tac. A. 14, 21: in feritatem, Plin. 17, 15, 25, § 117.—
ε Absol. : consuetudo eum et disciplina degenerare non sineret, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 68; id. Brut. 34, 130: nec Narisci Quadive degenerant, Tac. G. 42; id. A. 14, 21; 15, 68.
II Act.
A To cause to degenerate or deteriorate : Venus carpit corpus et vires animosque degenerat, Col. 7, 12, 11: multum degenerat transcribentium fors varia, Plin. 25, 2, 4, § 8: ni degeneratum in aliis huic quoque decori offecisset, i. e. his degeneracy, his vicious character , Liv. 1, 53; see Zumpt, Gram. § 638, N. 1.—
B With acc. of that from which any thing degenerates, to dishonor, to stain , by degeneracy (poet., and in post-Aug. prose): non degenerasse propinquos (sc. me), Prop. 4, 1, 81 (5, 1, 79 M): palmas, Ov. M. 7, 543: famam, Stat. Th. 4, 149; id. Silv. 3, 1, 160. — Pass. : conspectus degenerati patris, Val. Max. 8, 4; cf. Sol. 17, 11.