Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “generality” come from?

Generality derives from English general plus the French suffix -ité, from Latin generalis and the Latin suffix -itas, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning to beget or produce.

generality (English): The quality of being general; A generalization

Definitions

  1. The quality of being general; A generalization

Ancestry of “generality”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgeneralIncluding or involving every part or member of a...
2Middle Englishgeneraluniversal, complete; comprehensive, wide-ranging;...
3Anglo-Normangeneralgeneral
4Latingeneralisgeneral, generic
5Latingenusbirth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type,...
6Proto-Italicgenoslineage, origin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁osrace, lineage
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →