gen

See also: Appendix:Variations of "gen"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛn/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• Homophones: Jen, Gen

Etymology 1

Clipping of general.

Noun

gen (uncountable)

1. (chiefly British, informal) Information.
   • 2015, Nicholas Whittaker, Platform Souls: The Trainspotter as 20th-Century Hero:

     Nose around any modest-sized station and the odds are you'll find that the chargeman's office doubles as a bashers' club, a place where shivering spotters can get warm and catch up on the gen.

2. (birdwatching) Information about the location of a bird.
   • 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 172:

     I had some recent gen that they had been seen quite recently at Kunoth Well, a little dot on the map on the edge of the Tanami Desert.

3. (fandom slang) Fan fiction that does not specifically focus on romance or sex.

Synonyms

• (fan fiction): genfic

See also

• genned in
• gen up

Etymology 2

Noun

gen (plural gens)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Gen (“member of the Gen Movement”)

Etymology 3

Shortened from generate and generator.

Verb

gen (third-person singular simple present gens, present participle genning, simple past and past participle genned)

1. To generate using an automated process, especially a computer program.
   • 1991, Bruce H. Hunter, Karen Bradford Hunter, UNIX Systems: Advanced Administration and Management Handbook:

     Defining the devices so that they will be genned during the sysgen and installation is the other half.

   • 1993, Debra R. Niedermiller-Chaffins, Drew Heywood, Inside Novell NetWare, →ISBN, page 100:

     The older, genned files are difficult to keep up-to-date and are unsupported for some newer NICs.

   • 2010, Donald K. Burleson, Oracle Tuning: The Definitive Reference, →ISBN, page 1109:

     As the capacities of the large servers are exceeded, a new server is genned into the RAC cluster.

   • 2012, Robert Charles Wilson, Bios, →ISBN:

     The Turing factories on Isis's small moon had fallen short of productivity goals, though another two factory units had been genned.

Noun

gen (plural gens)

1. (slang) A generator (device that converts mechanical to electrical energy).

   Synonym: genny

Etymology 4

Shortened from genetic engineering

Verb

gen (third-person singular simple present gens, present participle genning, simple past and past participle genned)

1. (science fiction) To genetically engineer.
   • 2008, Bart Dahmer, Primal Screams, →ISBN, page 36:

     Samples could be taken from the original, and plans could be made, but genning could not be initiated until death had occurred.

   • 2011, Karen Sandler, Tankborn, →ISBN, page 28:

     Her nurturer ears, genned to be hyper-sensitive, had to be hurting from the noise.

Etymology 5

Etymology unknown. Possibilities include:

• Clipping of argent
• Clipping of generalise, from back slang for English shilling.

Noun

gen (plural gens)

1. (obsolete, UK, slang) A shilling.
   • 1851, Henry Mayhew, “Gambling of Costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor‎^[1], volume 1, page 17:

     The betting also began to shift. "Sixpence Ned wins!" cried three or four; "Sixpence he loses!" answered another; "Done!" and up went the halfpence. "Half-a-crown Joe loses!"—"Here you are," answered Joe, but he lost again. "I'll try you a 'gen'" (shilling) said a coster; "And a 'rouf yenap'" (fourpence), added the other. "Say a 'exes'" (sixpence).—"Done!" and the betting continued, till the ground was spotted with silver and halfpence.

   • 1978, Rose Ayers, The Street Sparrows:

     "Give me two gen, then, and take the whole bloody tol. I've walked me teef orf afore rouf this mornin', and wot 'ave I got? Two bloody yenneps! I ask yer."

Etymology 6

Clipping of generation.

Noun

gen (plural gens)

1. (informal) A generation (group of people born in a specific range of years).
   • 2022 June 28, “Wimbledon tennis: Fans react to Kristina Mladenovic's eye-catching outfit”, in The New Zealand Herald‎^[2]:

     "Mladenovic playing in what the young gen is calling a crop top, but what my gen is calling a bra," Bouchard tweeted. "Sign of the times that Wimbledon has no issue with that. Still can remember the year some had troubles because of 'too short' skirts lol."

   • 2022 July 4, Ben Schott, “Is There Anything That Gen Z Won’t Drink?”, in The Washington Post‎^[3]:

     It’s anyone’s guess whether such attitudes will persist into adulthood, but if Gen Z (and the gens to come) do prove more alco-skeptic than their forbears then the above twelve steps are deftly primed to cash in.

2. (informal) A specific version of something in a chronological sequence.
   • 2004, Sally Bishai, “Courtship, Marriage and the Ubiquitous ‘Dating Thing’”, in Mid-East Meets West: On Being and Becoming a Modern Arab American, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 57:

     For my fellow first-gens, get ready to hide a smirk, because your life story is likely hidden somewhere in this chapter. For the uninitiated—that is, the person who's never had a thing to do with the Arab way of doing things (namely dating)—I advise you to buckle up.

   • 2016, Dwight Lang, “Witnessing Social Class in the Academy”, in Allison L. Hurst, Sandi Kawecka Nenga, editors, Working in Class: Recognizing How Social Class Shapes Our Academic Work, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, part 2 (Teaching), page 102:

     […] I witness firsthand the difficult "downstream" outcomes (Grusky 2014) of social class stratification in a university setting where approximately 3,400 undergraduates (13% of the undergraduate population) are first in their families to attend and/or graduate from college (first-gens). Most of these students are low income and nearly 1,200 first-gens have grown up in poverty.

   • 2017, Temple Fennell, “SCIE: Sustainable Cycle of Investing Engagement”, in Kirby Rosplock, The Complete Direct Investing Handbook: A Guide for Family Offices, Qualified Purchasers, and Accredited Investors (Bloomberg Financial Series), Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 242:

     The Family Values and Framing Strategy steps address soft issues as what is the purpose of the new investment strategy, is there a desire to engage and train the next generation (Next Gens), and is there building buy-in and engagement across the family members important to strengthen family unity.

Derived terms

• next-gen

Related terms

• Gen Alpha
• Gen X
• Gen Z

 

Anagrams

• ENG, Eng., eng, neg, neg.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈʒɛn]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [ˈd͡ʒen]

Noun

gen m (plural gens)

1. gene

Related terms

• genètic
• genètica
• genetista
• gènic
• genoma
• genotip

 

Further reading

• “gen” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “gen” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “gen”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “gen” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡɛn]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gen
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

gen m inan

1. gene

Declension

Declension of gen (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	gen	geny
genitive	genu	genů
dative	genu	genům
accusative	gen	geny
vocative	gene	geny
locative	genu	genech
instrumental	genem	geny

Related terms

• genetický
• genetika
• genový

 

Further reading

• gen in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• gen in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology 1

From German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”). Coined by the Danish biologist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen in a German-language publication.

Noun

gen n (singular definite genet, plural indefinite gener)

1. (genetics) gene

Declension

Declension of gen

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	gen	genet	gener	generne
genitive	gens	genets	geners	genernes

Etymology 2

Verb

gen

1. imperative of genne

References

• “gen” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”). Coined by the Danish biologist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen in a German-language publication.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɛn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

gen n (plural genen)

1. gene

Descendants

• → Indonesian: gen

Anagrams

• eng

German

Etymology

From Middle High German gēn, gein, from gegen with elision of intervocalic -g- (compare Getreide, Maid). Doublet of gegen (“against”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡeːn/, /ɡɛn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: gehn, Gen (according to the first pronunciation)

Preposition

gen (governs the accusative)

1. (literary, somewhat dated) in the direction; to; towards (a place or time)

   gen Norden ― to the north, northwards

   gen Abend ― towards the evening, in the late afternoon

Synonyms

• (in) Richtung (place); gegen (time)

Further reading

• “gen” in Duden online
• “gen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ̃/

Verb

gen

1. Contraction of genyen.

Icelandic

Etymology

From German Gen.

Noun

gen n (genitive singular gens, nominative plural gen)

1. gene

Declension

declension of gen

n-s	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	gen	genið	gen	genin
accusative	gen	genið	gen	genin
dative	geni	geninu	genum	genunum
genitive	gens	gensins	gena	genanna

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gen (“gene”), from German Gen (which coined by Danish biologist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen in a German-language publication), from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛn/
• Rhymes: -ɡɛn
• Hyphenation: gen

Noun

gen (plural gen-gen, first-person possessive genku, second-person possessive genmu, third-person possessive gennya)

1. gene
   1. (genetics) a theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms; a gene may take several values and in principle predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
   2. (molecular biology) locus: a segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, in general the structure of a protein.

Derived terms

• gen dominan
• gen mutator
• gen pul
• gen regulator
• gen resesif
• gen struktural
• gen supresor
• gen terkait

 

Further reading

• “gen” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

gen

1. Rōmaji transcription of げん
2. Rōmaji transcription of ゲン

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gen (“gene”), from German Gen (which was coined by Danish biologist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen in a German-language publication), from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡen/
• Rhymes: -en

Noun

gen (plural gen-gen, informal 1st possessive genku, 2nd possessive genmu, 3rd possessive gennya)

1. gene
   1. (genetics) a theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms; a gene may take several values and in principle predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair colour.
   2. (molecular biology) locus: a segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, in general the structure of a protein.

Derived terms

• aliran gen
• bank gen
• frekuensi gen
• gen resesif
• keekspresian gen
• penggantian gen
• takung gen
• tindakan gen

 

Further reading

• “gen” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mandarin

Romanization

gen

1. Nonstandard spelling of gēn.
2. Nonstandard spelling of gén.
3. Nonstandard spelling of gěn.
4. Nonstandard spelling of gèn.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Preposition

gen

1. Alternative form of gain (“against”)

Mwotlap

Etymology

From Proto-Torres-Banks *ɣani, from Proto-Oceanic *kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən. Cognate with Vurës gen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɛn/

Verb

gen

1. to eat (meat, vegetables)
2. to suffer (s.th. unpleasant)
3. to acquire (an honorific rank)
4. (transitive) (fire) to burn s.th.
5. (intransitive) (fire) to burn

Derived terms

• gengen

References

François, Alexandre. 2024. Online Mwotlap–English–French cultural dictionary. Electronic files. Paris: CNRS. (Pdf version) – entry gen.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

gen n (definite singular genet, indefinite plural gener, definite plural gena or genene)

1. (biology) a gene

Usage notes

• Prior to a revision in 2020, this noun was also considered grammatically masculine. The form genen was then made obsolete.

References

• “gen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

gen n (definite singular genet, indefinite plural gen, definite plural gena)

1. (biology) a gene

Usage notes

• Prior to a revision in 2020, this noun was also considered grammatically masculine. The forms genen, genar, and genane were then made obsolete.

References

• “gen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ju.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jeːn/

Adverb

ġēn

1. still, yet
2. again, further

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʲen/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *gʷenom.

Noun

gen n or f

1. smile, laugh
2. sport, levity

Inflection

The Dictionary of the Irish Language believes that this was a u-stem, while Matasović disputes this classification since *giun would be expected from such a stem due to raising and u-infection; he declares it an o-stem. All forms except the nominative are unattested.

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	genN	genN	genL, gena
Vocative	genN	genN	genL, gena
Accusative	genN	genN	genL, gena
Genitive	ginL	gen	genN
Dative	giunL	genaib	genaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• gentraige

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

gen f

1. sword

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	genL	ginL	genaH
Vocative	genL	ginL	genaH
Accusative	ginN	ginL	genaH
Genitive	gineH	genL	genN
Dative	ginL	genaib	genaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
gen	gen pronounced with /ɣ(ʲ)-/	ngen
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old Occitan

Adjective

gen m (feminine singular genta, masculine plural gens, feminine plural gentas)

1. attractive; pleasing; nice; fair; pleasant
   • 12th century, Bernard de Ventadour^(Wikisource)

     Lo gens tems de pascor

     The pleasant time of Easter

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “genitus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 4: G H I, page 103

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• Syllabification: gen

Noun

gen m inan

1. gene

Declension

Declension of gen

	singular	plural
nominative	gen	geny
genitive	genu	genów
dative	genowi	genom
accusative	gen	geny
instrumental	genem	genami
locative	genie	genach
vocative	genie	geny

Derived terms

adjectives

• androgeniczny
• androgenny
• antygenowy

 

adverb

• antygenowo

 

noun

• androgen
• bank genów

 

Further reading

• gen in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• gen in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin genus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒen/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -en

Noun

gen n (plural genuri)

1. gender
2. type, sort, kind
3. way, style, manner
4. (biological category) genus, species, family

Declension

Declension of gen

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) gen	genul	(niște) genuri	genurile
genitive/dative	(unui) gen	genului	(unor) genuri	genurilor
vocative	genule		genurilor

Synonyms

• (gender): sex
• (type, kind, way): fel, stil
• (species): specie

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxen/ [ˈxẽn]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -en
• Syllabification: gen

Noun

gen m (plural genes)

1. gene

Derived terms

• génico

 

Further reading

• “gen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse gegn (“straight, direct”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jeːn/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

gen (comparative genare, superlative genast)

1. gain; short, direct

Related terms

• gena
• genväg
• framgent

Etymology 2

From German Gen.

Noun

gen c

1. gene

Declension

Declension of gen
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	gen	genen	gener	generna
Genitive	gens	genens	geners	genernas

Related terms

• genetik
• genetisk
• genom

References

• gen in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gen in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gen in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• eng.

Tok Pisin

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Etymology

From English again.

Adverb

gen

1. again
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:21:

     Orait God, Bikpela i mekim man i slip i dai tru. Na taim man i slip yet, God i kisim wanpela bun long banis bilong man na i pasim gen skin bilong dispela hap.

     →New International Version translation

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɟæn/

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish كیك (geñ), from Proto-Turkic *kēŋ (“wide, broad”).

Cognate with Yakut киэҥ (kieñ, “wide”), Bashkir киң (kiñ), Kazakh кең (keñ), etc.

Adjective

gen

1. (obsolete, dialectal) wide

   Synonym: geniş

   Antonym: dar

Derived terms

• genel
• genleşmek

Etymology 2

Noun

gen (definite accusative geni, plural genler)

1. (colloquial) A field that wasn't plowed for several years.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from French gene.

Noun

gen (definite accusative geni, plural genler)

1. (biology) gene

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	gen
Definite accusative	geni
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	gen	genler
Definite accusative	geni	genleri
Dative	gene	genlere
Locative	gende	genlerde
Ablative	genden	genlerden
Genitive	genin	genlerin
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular genim genlerim 2nd singular genin genlerin 3rd singular geni genleri 1st plural genimiz genlerimiz 2nd plural geniniz genleriniz 3rd plural genleri genleri Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular genimi genlerimi 2nd singular genini genlerini 3rd singular genini genlerini 1st plural genimizi genlerimizi 2nd plural geninizi genlerinizi 3rd plural genlerini genlerini Dative Singular Plural 1st singular genime genlerime 2nd singular genine genlerine 3rd singular genine genlerine 1st plural genimize genlerimize 2nd plural geninize genlerinize 3rd plural genlerine genlerine Locative Singular Plural 1st singular genimde genlerimde 2nd singular geninde genlerinde 3rd singular geninde genlerinde 1st plural genimizde genlerimizde 2nd plural geninizde genlerinizde 3rd plural genlerinde genlerinde Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular genimden genlerimden 2nd singular geninden genlerinden 3rd singular geninden genlerinden 1st plural genimizden genlerimizden 2nd plural geninizden genlerinizden 3rd plural genlerinden genlerinden Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular genimin genlerimin 2nd singular geninin genlerinin 3rd singular geninin genlerinin 1st plural genimizin genlerimizin 2nd plural geninizin genlerinizin 3rd plural genlerinin genlerinin

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• gien

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zɛn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jɛŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jɛŋ˧˧]
• Phonetic: gien

Noun

gen

1. gene

Usage notes

• This is one of the rare cases in which a word's pronunciation differs from its spelling.

Derived terms

• biểu hiện gen

 

Vurës

Etymology

From Proto-Torres-Banks *ɣani, from Proto-Oceanic *kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən. Cognate with Maori kai, Malay makan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣɛn/

Verb

gen

1. to eat (foods other than meat)

Derived terms

• gengen

Welsh

Alternative forms

• gennyf, gin

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛn/

Pronoun

gen

1. (colloquial) first-person singular of gan
2. (colloquial) second-person singular of gan

Zhuang

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *qeːnᴬ (“arm”). Cognate with Thai แขน (kɛ̌ɛn), Northern Thai ᨡᩯ᩠ᨶ, Lao ແຂນ (khǣn), Lü ᦶᦃᧃ (ẋaen), Tai Dam ꪵꪄꪙ, Shan ၶႅၼ် (khěn).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /keːn˨˦/
• Tone numbers: gen¹
• Hyphenation: gen

Noun

gen (1957–1982 spelling gen)

1. (anatomy) arm

Zou

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡen˧/

Verb

gen

1. (transitive) to say

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 41