Degeneroitua

Degeneroitua is a Finnish verb meaning to degenerate or deteriorate, describing a process by which something becomes worse in quality, function, or structure. It is used for biological tissues and organs, as well as for non-biological systems, processes, or even social conditions when they decline.

Etymology and grammar: The term is formed from the Latin root degener-, adapted to Finnish through the -oitua suffix, which signals a change of state. Degeneroitua is an intransitive verb; the related noun form is degeneroituminen (degeneration). In sentences, the subject undergoes the change (for example, kudos degeneroitui, the tissue degenerated).

Contexts and usage: In medicine and biology it frequently describes degeneration of tissue or nervous tissue. It is also used in geology or materials science to describe long-term deterioration, or in sociology to refer to a perceived decline in social conditions. The word is more common in formal or technical language; for everyday talk Finns may use other verbs such as heikentyä or rapistua, depending on the nuance.

Examples:

Kudos degeneroitui vanhenemisen seurauksena.

Sairauden myötä kudoksen degeneroituminen eteni.

Kaupungin infrastruktuuri degeneroitui vuosien laiminlyönnin vuoksi.