源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

general

/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/
Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole, etc.; common to all, universal.

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow
    Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
    Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    Latin genus, generis

    Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

    Proto-Indo-European *-is

    Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

    Proto-Italic *-ālis

    Latin -ālis

    Latin generālisbor.

    Anglo-Norman generalbor.

    Middle French generalbor.

    ▲

    Latin generālisder.

    Middle English general

    English general

    From Middle English general, in turn from Anglo-Norman general, generall, Middle French general, and their source, Latin generālis, from genus (“class, kind”) + -ālis (“-al”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishgeneral
      • borrowedAnglo-Normangeneral
      • derivedLatingenerālis
        • partLatingenus “descent, origin, birth”
          • inheritedProto-Italic*genos
            • inheritedProto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
              • partProto-Indo-European*-os
        • partLatin-ālis “-al”
          • inheritedProto-Italic*-ālis
          • derivedProto-Indo-European*-li-
      • borrowedMiddle Frenchgeneral
    • rootProto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁- “to produce; to beget”

    Meanings

    adj
    1. Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole, etc.; common to all, universal.
    2. 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.
    3. Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual.
    4. Not limited in use or application; applicable across a broad range.
    5. Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite.
    6. Not of a specific class; miscellaneous.
    noun
    1. The holder of a senior military title, originally designating the commander of an army and now a specific rank falling under field marshal (in the British army) and below general of the army or general of the air force in the US army and air forces.
    2. A great strategist or tactician.
    3. A general fact or proposition; a generality.
    4. The head of certain religious orders, especially Dominicans or Jesuits.
    5. The equivalent of a king in Chinese chess, the xiangqi piece that is confined to the palace, moves orthogonally one point at a time, and whose loss decides the game.
    6. Synonym of admiral, a senior naval title, a great naval strategist or tactician.
    verb
    1. To lead (soldiers) as a general.
    adv
    1. In a general or collective manner or sense; in most cases; upon the whole.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: general