gene

Where does the word "gene" come from? It comes from Greek genos, passing through German before entering English (1900s).

Gene’s story begins in Greek: genos meant “birth, race, kind.” Birth, race, or kind, the root of anything inherited. By 1900s, the word had taken hold in German as Gen. Coined by biologist Wilhelm Johannsen for the unit of heredity. It reached English by 1900s as gene. Settled as the English word for the basic unit of heredity. Today, gene means a unit of heredity that determines a trait in an organism.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient genos "birth, race, kind", birth, race, or kind, the root of anything inherited.
2. Stage 2 · German · 1900s Gen "a unit of heredity", coined by biologist Wilhelm Johannsen for the unit of heredity.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s gene "a unit of heredity in a living organism", settled as the English word for the basic unit of heredity.