Where does “general” come from?
general (German) comes from French général, from Old French general, from Latin generalis, from Latin genus, from Proto-Italic genos, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁os, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
general (German): general
Definitions
- general
Ancestry of “general”, step by step
general traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French général
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | général | general; general, usual |
| 2 | Old French | general | general |
| 3 | Latin | generalis | general, generic |
| 4 | Latin | genus | birth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | genos | lineage, origin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Middle High German general
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | general | — |