Is the Degenerate skill name used as a noun or a verb? In episode 9 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (time code 7:44 at Crunchyroll) Rimuru uses a new skill he got from Shizu, called Degenerate.




  I wanted to test out Degenerate


I think this may be an awkward translation.  First, its pronunciation is different between its noun and verb forms, with the verb using a long "a" sound in the final syllable.  Second, most other skill names are nouns (Body Armor, Paralysis Breath, etc. -- an exception being Mimic). But as a noun, the word "degenerate" does not fit at all.  The in game description is that it uses unification and separation to form a new skill from pre-existing ones.  "Degenerate" as a verb can sort of fit, though not well.

Is this just a poor translation, and is it a verb or a noun? A better term for what is being described would be "Recomposition".
Some minor spoilers ahead. 

I think it is a noun. Its other name is 'Deviant', which is used as a noun or an adjective. Furthermore, it was noted in the wiki that


  The kanji for Deviant translate to both Shapeshifter and Deviant (Degenerate or Pervert)


which


   is where the pun comes from when Rimuru teases the spirit of Shizue inside him at a comedic panel of the manga at the end of the chapter. 


From these two translations, it is also used as a noun.

Degenerate, according to Wikipedia, is someone who has fallen from a previous state whereas deviant is something that departs from the norm. The skill releases properties inherent to the target, which is quiet similar to what happens when one becomes a degenerate or if someone becomes a deviant.