gen

1 of 6

noun (1)

plural gens
informal
: generation sense 1
I always get the various gens mixed up but I am pretty sure the Greatest Generation, the people who fought World War II, were the parents of the baby boomers.Clay Thompson
the seventh gen of this model
often used in combination
a second-gen game console
see also gen x

gen

2 of 6

noun (2)

chiefly British

gen

3 of 6

abbreviation (1)

1
general
2
genitive
3
genus

Gen

4 of 6

abbreviation (2)

Genesis

gen-

5 of 6

combining form

variants or geno-
1
: offspring : race
genocide
2
: genus : kind
genotype

-gen

6 of 6

noun combining form

variants or less commonly -gene
1
: producer
androgen
2
: one that is (so) produced
cultigen

Examples of gen in a Sentence

Noun (2) as he has for decades, he gets most of his gen from the BBC over the wireless

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening

Noun (2)

perhaps from general information

Combining form

Greek genos birth, race, kind — more at kin

Noun combining form

French -gène, from Greek -genēs born; akin to Greek genos birth

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1949, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gen was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near gen

Cite this Entry

“Gen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

gen

abbreviation
1
general
2
genus
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