General
/ˈdʒɛn(ə)rəl/noun
Common, widespread, or relating to a whole group rather than a specific part; also a high-ranking military officer.
Did you know?“General” comes from Latin *generalis*, from *genus* (“birth, kind, race”), the same ancient root behind words like gender and genus — so its deepest meaning is about category, descent, and what something is born as.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“to beget, give birth, produce”
Latin
Latin
genus
“birth, descent, race, kind, class”
Latin
Latin
generālis
“pertaining to a whole class or kind, general”
Old French
Old French
general
“general, common, universal”
Middle English
English
general
“common to all; not special or particular”
Modern English
English
general
“common, widespread, or relating to a whole group; also a military rank”