Gena
/ˈdʒiː.nə/noun
The cheek or cheek-like lateral area, especially the area beside an insect’s eye.
Did you know?Gena comes from Latin for “cheek,” but historical linguists have linked that word to the ancient Indo-European root also associated with the knee—the body’s bending joint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵénu-
“A reconstructed term associated with the jaw, cheekbone, or knee”
Classical Latin
Latin
gena
“Cheek or cheekbone”
Medieval Latin
Latin
gena
“Cheek; later used in anatomical description”
19th Century
Scientific English
gena
“The cheek-like region of an insect’s head beside the compound eye”
Modern English
English
gena
“A cheek or the lateral cheek area in anatomical and zoological terminology”