*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of genet

From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail. · The fur of this mammal, or any skin dressed in imitation of it.

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

From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin.

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "genet"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English genet"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "genette"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman genette"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "genette"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French genette"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "genet",
      "genet#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ionet",
      "ionet#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "genette",
      "genette#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "genette",
      "genette#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "jenette",
      "jenette#Middle_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.",
        "The fur of this mammal, or any skin dressed in imitation of it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "91dfe8888f03e885dddcd6c601be943b8f2c3ed042b99e8954f784029b473972",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1121293
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A group of genetically identical individuals (plants, fungi, bacteria etc.) that have grown in a given location, all originating from asexual reproduction of a single ancestor; a group of ramets.

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

Coined in the 20th century from gene + -et.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gene",
        "3": "et"
      },
      "expansion": "gene + -et"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gene",
      "gene#English"
    ],
    [
      "-et",
      "-et#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A group of genetically identical individuals (plants, fungi, bacteria etc.) that have grown in a given location, all originating from asexual reproduction of a single ancestor; a group of ramets."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b765300f44f135c2f7e2a5e8dedaa32deffe4d2e1c8de9d979d679ec2ad9e50a",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1121294
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  ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A small-sized, well-proportioned, Spanish horse; a jennet.

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

See jennet.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "jennet",
      "jennet#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small-sized, well-proportioned, Spanish horse; a jennet."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  }
}

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 genet →

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-Z2VuZXQ