Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “generall” come from?

General comes from Middle English general, from Middle French general, from Latin generalis meaning "of or relating to a genus or kind," derived from Latin -alis and Proto-Italic genos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning "to beget or produce."

generall (English): Archaic spelling of general

Definitions

  1. Archaic spelling of general

Ancestry of “generall”, 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- →