-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 MHG. adverbial gen. nahts, dës nahtes 44 was formed after the analogy of dës tages.
From A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Joseph Wright
Other nouns characterised by eu add a for the gen., as, treud m. a flock, g. s. treuda; feum m. use, need, g. s. feuma; beum m. a stroke, g. s. beuma.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart
It is the gen. c. pl. of Alle, joined to an adj. in the superl. degree, and is extensively employed.
From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown
Christ, which has the gen. like the nominative.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart
Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps, Steinberg is sent to Flensburg, a former German naval academy now under Allied control, where he is put in charge of Gen. Alfred Jodl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Gen. Colin Powell and Bob Dylan are among Sparrow’s fans, with Powell dubbing him the “Mount Olympus of Calypso.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Upholding these data searches “would not require states, candidates, parties, or voters to do anything,” Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer told the court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
We do not know what transpires within the Town, but there is much Word among the assembled Regiments that it is become a Prison & only those who obtains Passes from Gen. Gage may leave.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
But four years into the gen AI boom, CPUs are making a comeback.
From Barron's ● May 8, 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
The third gen is about 170 pounds lighter than before, by way of more high-strength steel and lightweight aluminum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 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.
