We the People: Gen

The words on this list all share the root gen, from the Greek genos ("birth, race") or Latin genus ("origin, kind, beget").

Work your way through these lists focused on Greek and Latin roots representing people and the social units they form: Gen, Ethn, Dem, Popul, Soc, Civ, Anthrop
14 words 3209 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gender
    properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of sex
    Stereotypes of color, race, and gender are slowly disappearing. Tears of a Tiger
  2. genealogy
    the study or investigation of ancestry and family history
    She ridiculed her own attempts at genealogy; the family tree was wintry and bare, as well as rootless. Atonement
    This word can also be used as a synonym for "ancestry" or "lineage," referring less to the study of one's family history and more to the actual members within it.
  3. generalize
    draw from specific cases for broader cases
    The data was restricted to Swedish males, a population whose results might not generalize to people in other parts of the world. Time (Sep 9, 2015)
  4. generation
    all the people living at the same time or of the same age
    His parents believed in the dignity of the honest trades, envisioning the generations of their family branching into the future, each more accomplished than the last. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
  5. generous
    willing to give and share unstintingly
    Ankara has been extraordinarily generous to people from Syria in the years since civil war broke out there. US News (Sep 23, 2015)
  6. genetic
    of a segment of DNA involved in producing polypeptide chains
    DNA provides our genetic code, with its sister molecule RNA translating that code into the proteins that run our brains and myriad bodily functions. Scientific American (Aug 15, 2019)
    In the singular, this word is an adjective; pluralized as genetics, it refers to the science of heredity. The word is related to genesis, which means "origin, creation, generation."
  7. genesis
    a coming into being
    I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. Long Walk to Freedom
  8. genius
    someone who has exceptional intellectual ability
    Napoleon said all geniuses are French, to explain why he was taking the treasures of Italy to Paris. The Guardian (Oct 1, 2015)
    This word comes from the Latin noun genius, which refers to a "guardian spirit which watches over each person from birth." This meaning evolved into the sense of an inborn talent.
  9. genocide
    systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
    The museum focuses on stereotypes, prejudice, genocide, the history of intolerance. The Freedom Writers Diary
  10. genre
    a class of art having a characteristic form or technique
    So why has the documentary genre captured the attention of Hollywood? Los Angeles Times (Sep 12, 2015)
  11. genus
    taxonomic group containing one or more species
    If it hadn’t been for the human ego, taxonomists would long ago have squeezed all hominoids into a single genus. New York Times (Sep 15, 2015)
  12. indigenous
    originating where it is found
    Ms Hughes says the monkeys also ravage indigenous vegetation and wildlife, eating birds' eggs and bromeliads. BBC (Aug 15, 2019)
  13. progenitor
    an ancestor in the direct line
    The real question here is, who was that last common ancestor, the missing progenitor of both chimps and humans? National Geographic (Sep 11, 2015)
    This word derives from pro (prefix meaning "forward, forth") + genus ("race") + or (suffix forming nouns). Both progenitor and progenyrelate the idea of lineage, but progenitors are the ones who bring forth the progeny; thus, progenitors are ancestors, while progeny are their immediate descendants.
  14. progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
    As a result, the cells persist and keep producing progeny, ultimately yielding a larger crop of neurons. Science Magazine (May 31, 2018)
Created on Wed Sep 30 15:45:33 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Aug 26 15:46:44 EDT 2019)

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