-gen

¹ American  

Also -gene

1. a combining form meaning “that which produces,” used in the formation of compound words.

   endogen; hydrogen.

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gen. ² American  

abbreviation

1. gender.

2. general.

3. genitive.

4. genus.

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Gen. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Military. General.

2. Bible. Genesis.

3. Geneva.

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-gen ¹ British  

suffix

1. producing or that which produces

   hydrogen

2. something produced

   carcinogen

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Gen. ² British  

abbreviation

1. General

2. Bible Genesis

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gen ³ British  

/ dʒɛn /

noun

1. informal information See also gen up

   give me the gen on your latest project

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Usage

What does -gen mean? The combining form -gen is used like a suffix meaning “that which produces.” It is often used in scientific and technical terms, especially in chemistry and biology.The form -gen comes from Greek -genēs, meaning “born” or “produced.” The Latin translation and cognate of -genēs is nātus, meaning “born,” which is the source of natal, native, and nature. Find out how these terms derive from nātus at our entry for each word.What are variants of -gen?While the form -gen doesn't have any variants, it is related to the combining forms -genic, -geny, and -genous, as in heterogenic, heterogeny, and heterogenous. The form -gen is also closely related to the combining forms -genesis and -genetic as in carcinogenesis and autogenetic. Read our Words That Use articles for -genic, -geny, -genous, -genesis, and -genetic to learn more.

Etymology

Origin of -gen

< French -gène ≪ Greek -genēs born, produced; akin to Latin genus, kin

Example Sentences

After all, this generation of parents are the millennials and Gen X-ers who grew up socializing at the mall a la Cher Horowitz in “Clueless.”

From Los Angeles Times

Gen. Rob Bonta sued the Sheriff’s Department in September alleging that inmates “are forced to live in filthy cells with broken and overflowing toilets, infestations of rats and roaches, and no clean water for drinking or bathing.”

From Los Angeles Times

Plus, the DOJ reverses course on law firm sanctions and Vail Resorts discounts the Epic Pass for Gen Z.

From The Wall Street Journal

He believes that MongoDB “has an opportunity to participate in secular trends across databases, cloud, and gen AI,” and rates the stock as a Buy with a $370 price target.

From Barron's

That statistic was higher among Gen Zs and millennials, with 41 percent saying they rely heavily on food delivery.

From Salon