-gen

¹

1. a combining form meaning “that which produces,” used in the formation of compound words:

   endogen; hydrogen.

gen.

²

abbreviation for

1. gender.
2. general.
3. genitive.
4. genus.

Gen.

³

abbreviation for

1. Military. General.
2. Bible. Genesis.
3. Geneva.

-gen

¹

suffix forming nouns

1. producing or that which produces

   hydrogen

2. something produced

   carcinogen

gen

²

/ dʒɛn /

noun

1. informal.
   information See also gen up

   give me the gen on your latest project

Gen.

³

abbreviation for

1. General
2. Bible Genesis

Word History and Origins

Origin of -gen¹

< French -gène ≪ Greek -genēs born, produced; akin to Latin genus, kin

Word History and Origins

Origin of -gen¹

via French -gène, from Greek -genēs born

Origin of -gen²

C20: from gen ( eral information )

Example Sentences

Gen. Itzik Cohen announced that Palestinians who had fled northern Gaza would not be allowed to return even if their homes had not been destroyed, leading to another round of accusations that Israel was committing ethnic cleansing, including by Haaretz, the country's left-leaning newspaper.

From Salon

The area is also the home to a former World War II-era training center used by Gen. George Patton to prepare troops to fight in the North African deserts.

From Los Angeles Times

But in the past two seasons — after almost 20 years and 500 episodes — the show has grabbed hold of Gen Z viewers through its canny use of TikTok, casting of younger dance pros and the chance virality of “wow moments” from routines.

From New York Times

Ahead of the Season 33 semifinals, Green and two of the show’s professional dancers, Rylee Arnold, 19, and Witney Carson, 31, explained their parts in making “Dancing With the Stars” a hit with Gen Z.

From New York Times

Hegseth, the Fox News host who could become Defense secretary, has proposed purging military officers he sees as too committed to diversity, including Gen. C.Q.

From Los Angeles Times

Words That Use -gen

What does -gen mean?

The combining form –gen is used like a suffix meaning “that which produces.” It is often used in scientific and technical terms, especially in chemistry and biology.

The form –gen comes from Greek –genēs, meaning “born” or “produced.” The Latin translation and cognate of –genēs is nātus, meaning “born,” which is the source of natal, native, and nature. Find out how these terms derive from nātus at our entry for each word.

What are variants of –gen?

While the form –gen doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the combining forms –genic, –geny, and –genous, as in heterogenic, heterogeny, and heterogenous. The form –gen is also closely related to the combining forms –genesis and –genetic as in carcinogenesis and autogenetic. Read our Words That Use articles for –genic, –geny, –genous, –genesis, and –genetic to learn more.

Examples of -gen

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –gen is carcinogen, “any substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer.”

We know –gen means “that which produces,” and the carcino– portion of the word refers to “cancer,” from Greek karkínos. Carcinogen literally translates to “that which produces cancer.”

What are some words that use the combining form –gen?

• adaptogen
• androgen
• dipsogen
• estrogen
• hydrogen (using the equivalent form of –gen in French)
• pathogen
• zymogen (using the equivalent form of –gen in German)

What are some other forms that –gen may be commonly confused with?

• -gamy
• -gon
• -gyny

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –gen, such as trudgen or smidgen, is necessarily using the combining form –gen to denote “that which produces.” Learn what trudgen has to do with swimming at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form hydro– means “water.” With this in mind, what does hydrogen literally mean?