What does the term 'degenerate' refer to in the context of the genetic code?

The term 'degenerate' in the context of the genetic code refers to the phenomenon where multiple codons can specify or code for the same amino acid. This is a crucial aspect of the genetic code because it provides a level of redundancy, allowing for some mutations in the DNA sequence to occur without altering the resulting protein. For example, there are 64 possible codons (combinations of three nucleotides), but only 20 amino acids, meaning that most amino acids are encoded by more than one codon. This feature of the genetic code helps to mitigate the effects of mutations and contributes to the overall stability of the genetic information across generations.

The other options do not accurately convey the meaning of 'degenerate' in the genetic code. Each codon coding for a single amino acid describes specificity rather than degeneracy, while the independence of codons and uniqueness of genetic codes among organisms do not pertain to the concept of degeneracy.