Where does “Generation X” come from?
Generation X (English) comes from English generation, from Middle English generacioun, from Old French generacion, from Latin generātiō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
Generation X (English): A generation of people whose future is uncertain; a lost generation
Definitions
- A generation of people whose future is uncertain; a lost generation
Ancestry of “Generation X”, step by step
Generation X traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English generation
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | generation | The fact of creating something, or bringing... |
| 2 | Middle English | generacioun | generation |
| 3 | Old French | generacion | procreation; begetting |
| 4 | Latin | generātiō | a generation |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English X
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | X | An unknown quantity or unknown value; A variable... |
| 2 | English | Christ | A figure or other artistic depiction of Jesus... |
| 3 | Middle English | Crist | (Jesus) Christ |
| 4 | Old English | Crīst | Christ |
| 5 | Latin | Chrīstus | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Χριστός | anointed; messiah; annointed, the annointed one,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |