-gen

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 542 words | Copyright

-gen repr. Gr. -genḗs (rel. to génos KIN), through F. -gène, which, by ref. to Gr. gennân beget, produce, was used first in oxygène OXYGEN, nitrogène NITROGEN, and later in endogène ENDOGEN, exogène EXOGEN, in the sense ‘producing’, whereas the orig. Gr. formative was used in the senses (i) ‘born, produced’, as in eggenḗs native, and (ii) ‘of a (certain or specified) condition’, as in heterogenḗs HETEROGENEOUS, homogenḗs HOMOGENEOUS.

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T. F. HOAD. "-gen." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "-gen." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gen.html

T. F. HOAD. "-gen." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gen.html

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