Extremely dense matter where quantum mechanical effects dominate, found in white dwarfs and neutron stars. The pressure is provided by electron or neutron degeneracy rather than thermal motion.
From Latin 'degeneratus' (fallen from original state) + 'materia' (substance). In physics, 'degenerate' refers to quantum states with the same energy, coined in the early 20th century with quantum mechanics development.
Degenerate matter is so bizarre that a teaspoon of it would weigh as much as a mountain on Earth! It's matter pushed to such extremes that normal atoms collapse and quantum mechanics takes over - electrons or neutrons are squeezed so tightly they can't be compressed further, creating the universe's ultimate solid.
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