generate

Where does the word "generate" come from? It comes from Latin genus, passing through Latin before entering English (1500s).

Generate’s story begins in Latin: genus meant “birth, kind, race.” The root of 'gender', 'general' and 'genre'. Within Latin, it grew into generare by ancient. The root of 'generation', 'general' and 'gender'. It reached English by 1500s as generate. Settled as the English word for producing or creating something. Today, generate means to produce or bring something into existence.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient genus "birth, kind, race", the root of 'gender', 'general' and 'genre'.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient generare "to beget, to produce", the root of 'generation', 'general' and 'gender'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s generate "to produce or create something", settled as the English word for producing or creating something.