-gen
a combining form meaning “that which produces,” used in the formation of compound words.
-gen
1 American
Also
-gene
gen.
2
American
abbreviation
-
gender.
-
general.
-
genitive.
-
genus.
Gen.
3
American
abbreviation
-
Military. General.
-
Bible. Genesis.
-
Geneva.
-gen
1
British
suffix
-
producing or that which produces
hydrogen
-
something produced
carcinogen
Gen.
2
British
abbreviation
-
General
-
Bible Genesis
gen
3
British
/ dʒɛn /
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The word collagen actually derives from the Greek kolla, meaning glue, and the suffix -gen, meaning producer.
From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2012
EIA sees power gen. from coal sliding 15% in ’12, nat gas increases 24%.
From Washington Post ● May 9, 2012
The First Comparative is formed from the gen. sing. mas. by adding e; as, geal white, g. s. m. gil, comp. gile, ghile; ciontach guilty, g. s. m. ciontaich, comp. ciontaiche.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart
Among the papers of the antiquary Richard Gough in the Bodleian Library—more exactly, in his copy of Horsley's Britannia, gen. top.
From Roman Britain in 1914 by F. (Francis) Haverfield
The usual abbreviations are employed for the cases, nom., gen., dat., acc., and instr.
From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith
Now in ancient French the nom., corresponding to cantator, is chántere, but the gen. chanteór, and thus again a distinction is established of great importance for grammatical purposes.
From Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities by F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller
Gen. Christopher LaNeve takes aim at a cutting-edge drone unit, one of several moves he has made since taking over the Army.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Gen. Michael Flynn at Trump Tower and traveled at their behest to China to meet with Premier Xi Jinping and set up an early bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Gen. Scott Winter said this year’s drills would be “bigger and better than ever.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine called it a “valid military requirement” necessary to protect the president and provide command-and-control capabilities.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Gen. Matt read on farther down the page.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Then came gen AI that could automate its core offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
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 ● Mar. 3, 2026
Here are some examples of prompts from analysts and portfolio managers who are leveraging gen AI to work better and faster:
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
“There are thousands of group chats like this where gen z people talk like that,” he said.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2025
They had transmuted carbon into radioactive nitro gen.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
