-genous

American  

1. a suffix of adjectives corresponding to nouns with stems in -gen: erogenous .

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-genous British  

combining form

1. yielding or generating

   androgenous

   erogenous

2. generated by or issuing from

   endogenous

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Usage

What does -genous mean? The combining form -genous is used like a suffix meaning “of or related to that which produces.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology. The form -genous comes a combination of two combining forms, -gen and -ous. The form -gen means "that which produces," from Greek -genēs, meaning “born” or “produced.” The form -ous is a suffix used to form adjectives, from Latin -ōsus. 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 -genous?While the form -genous doesn't have any variants, it is related to the combining form -geny, as in heterogeny. The form -genous is also closely related to the combining forms -gen, -genesis, -genetic, and -genic, as in pathogen, carcinogenesis, autogenetic, and carcinogenic. Read our Words That Use articles for -gen, -genic, -geny, -genesis, and -genetic.

Etymology

Origin of -genous

-gen + -ous