general

English

/ˈd͡ʒɛnɹəl/, /ˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəl/

adj
Definitions
  • Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole etc.; as opposed to specific (specific) or particular (particular).
  • (sometimes) Applied to a person (as a postmodifier or a normal preceding adjective) to indicate supreme rank, in civil or military titles, and later in other terms; pre-eminent.
  • Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual.
  • Not limited in use or application; applicable to the whole or every member of a class or category.
  • Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite.
  • Not limited to a specific class; miscellaneous, concerned with all branches of a given subject or area.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English general borrowed from general borrowed from Middle French general derived from Latin generālis (general) root from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (produce, beget, give birth, be born, procreate, generate, beget give birth to, bear).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*ǵenh₁-

Gloss

produce, beget, give birth, be born, procreate, generate, beget give birth to, bear

Concept
Semantic Field

Modern world

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

産

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms