*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -gen

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Anc

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

A producer of something, or an agent in the production of something.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)lbor. French -gènebor. English -gen Borrowed from French -gène, from the Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "fr:-gène",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os\nProto-Hellenic *génos\nAncient Greek γένος (génos)\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *-ēs\nProto-Hellenic *-ēs\nAncient Greek -ης (-ēs)\nAncient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)lbor.\nFrench -gènebor.\nEnglish -gen\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"lbor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Learned borrowing from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"race\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"family\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"race\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*ǵenh₁-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"athematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*ǵénh₁os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*génos\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"γένος\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-ēs\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"athematic\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"ine-pro\", \"id\" : \"athematic\", \"pos\" : \"suffix\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ēs\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ης\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-γενής\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"French\", \"term\" : \"-gène\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fr\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-gen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-gen\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "-gène"
      },
      "expansion": "French -gène"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "-γενής"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "fr:-gène",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os\nProto-Hellenic *génos\nAncient Greek γένος (génos)\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *-ēs\nProto-Hellenic *-ēs\nAncient Greek -ης (-ēs)\nAncient Greek -γενής (-genḗs)lbor.\nFrench -gènebor.\nEnglish -gen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*ǵenh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵenh₁-"
    ],
    [
      "*-os",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_athematic"
    ],
    [
      "*ǵénh₁os",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵénh₁os#Proto-Indo-European:_race"
    ],
    [
      "*génos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/génos#Proto-Hellenic:_family"
    ],
    [
      "γένος",
      "γένος#Ancient_Greek:_race"
    ],
    [
      "*-os",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_athematic"
    ],
    [
      "*-ēs",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-ēs#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-ης",
      "-ης#Ancient_Greek:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-γενής",
      "-γενής#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "-gène",
      "-gène#French"
    ],
    [
      "-gène",
      "-gène#French"
    ],
    [
      "-γενής",
      "-γενής#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A producer of something, or an agent in the production of something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "21c88d8450dfb9724a7165512d7259c9cb5a197a0e8742d87290391ae36fc8e1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f1bd5be71511fe3c637529e632f92ef48a27cd7fb2a942046aa925875aaa9b8d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 825243
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -gen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWdlbg