(verb) : dēgĕnĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, and
* A. [degener].
* Neutr., to depart from its race or kind, to degenerate (class.).
* 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.
* Act.
* 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.
* With abl. alone: famā,Stat. Th. 3, 148.
* With dat. (poet.): degenerant nati patribus,Manil. 4, 78; so, Marti paterno,Stat. Th. 1, 464: patri,Claud. IV. Cons. Honor. 366.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.

s. TLL