*gen(e)-

The core idea of this root was:

giving birth, begetting, “putting into the world”

The family tree is incredibly huge, especially because Latin used the root to express things around birth, inheritance and possession.

Here’s an incomplete list of English members of the family, with some ideas how they tie together:

  • gene (from Greek “generation, a people”, then broadened to general idea of class)
  • Genesis (Band from the 80s, with Phil f-in’ Collins… Millennials don’t know him, though)
  • general (relating to all, the whole people)
  • genocide (“killing a people”)
  • genealogy (knowledge of family, generations)
  • homogenous, heterogenous (of one/multiple types)
  • generic (the “baseline” without special features)
  • genre (type)
  • cognate (same type)
  • -gen (nitrogen, hydrogen,… originally: of that type)
  • homogeneous, heterogeneous, indigenous
  • gender, genus (type)
  • genitive (from whom, origin)
  • genuine (“from nature, unaltered”)
  • engine, engineer (“inherent skill to create”)
  • gentle, gentlemen, gentry (originally: high born class, hence noble)
  • -geny 
  • genital  (stuff you need to create a new generation)
  • generate (put into the world)
  • genius (“generative power, inner spirit”)
  • pregnant, impregnate (“pre birth”)
  • Eugene, Eugenie (“well-born”)
  • kin (type, family)
  • kind (type, family)
  • kind (originally “warm feeling toward family”)
  • nascent (“being born”)
  • nature (“the creation, the universe”)
  • native (“by birth”)
  • naive (from “like after birth” shift to “stupid”)
  • nation (“race of people, tribe”)
  • renaissance (“rebirth”)

If you have other relatives in mind that you think are interesting, please share them in the comments :)

 

0 0 votes
Article Rating

This root gave rise to 17+ German words.

Word Family 17 words

Questions and Comments

Do you have questions about the usage or meaning of “*gen(e)-”? Just ask here and I’ll try to clear it up.

guest

0 Comments
Newest
Oldest