Word of the Day

: January 25, 2009

engender

verb in-JEN-der

What It Means

1 : beget, procreate

2 : to cause to exist or to develop : produce

3 : to assume form : originate

engender in Context

The mayor hopes that the development of the new urban park will help to engender a sense of community among those who live downtown.

Did You Know?

When "engender" was first used in the 14th century, it meant "propagate" or "procreate," but extended meanings soon developed. "Engender" comes from the Latin verb "generare," which means "to generate" or "to beget." "Generate," "regenerate," "degenerate," and "generation" are of course related to the Latin verb as well. As you might suspect, the list of "engender" relatives does not end there. "Generare" comes from the Latin noun "genus," meaning "birth," "race," or "kind." From this source we have our own word "genus," plus "gender," "general," and "generic," among other words.