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generalist

[ jen-er-uh-list ]
/ ˈdʒɛn ər ə lɪst /

noun

a person whose knowledge, aptitudes, and skills are applied to a field as a whole or to a variety of different fields (opposed to specialist).

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of generalist

First recorded in 1605–15; general + -ist

Words nearby generalist

general election, general headquarters, general hospital, general immunity, generalissimo, generalist, generality, generalization, generalize, generalized, generalized anaphylaxis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for generalist

British Dictionary definitions for generalist

generalist
/ (ˈdʒɛnərəlɪst, ˈdʒɛnrə-) /

noun

  1. a person who is knowledgeable in many fields of study
  2. (as modifier)a generalist profession
ecology an organism able to utilize many food sources and therefore able to flourish in many habitatsCompare specialist (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for generalist

generalist
[ jĕn′ər-ə-lĭst ]

n.

A physician whose practice is not oriented in a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.