gen

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈjen How to pronounce gen (audio)
plural gens
Synonyms of gennext
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)

ˈjen How to pronounce gen (audio)
chiefly British
: information sense 1a

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

Synonyms

Noun (2)

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

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

Phrases Containing gen

Dictionary Entries Near gen

gemütlichkeit

gen

gen-

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gen. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

gen

abbreviation
1
general
2
genus
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