general

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdʒen.ər.əl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English general, borrowed from Old French general and also directly from Latin generālis (“relating to all, of a whole class”),^[2][3] from genus (“stock, kind”) (stem gener-) and the suffix -ālis,^[2][4] from Proto-Indo-European *genə- (“to give birth, beget”).^[2][5] Merriam-Webster gives the route through Anglo-Norman general.^[6] Barnhart suggests that the sense “relating to all” became prominent through medieval study of Aristotle, whose logic paired genus with speciēs.^[3] The noun meaning “army commander” is short for captain general, after Middle French capitaine général (“commander-in-chief”);^[2][7] Barnhart traces it through général to Italian generale.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of wide application, affecting or involving all, as opposed to special or particular: probably before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the late 14th century general was added to titles of officials to mark superior rank and wide jurisdiction,^[2] as in later attorney general.^[8] In general “as a rule, without exception” is late 14th century,^[2] and the noun “a whole class of things” appears about 1380, in Chaucer's translation of Boethius.^[3] A general rule is from about 1400.^[2] In the 16th century the noun came to mean the head of a religious order^[9] and an army commander (1576).^[3][2] A general hospital (1737) is one that takes all patients,^[2] and the American general store (1810) one that sells all kinds of goods.^[2] Generality appears about 1378, in Wycliffe,^[3] and generalization in 1761, in Adam Smith.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1200 – adjective (Ancrene Riwle).^[3]
• c. 1378 – generality.^[3]
• c. 1380 – noun, a whole class (Chaucer).^[3]
• late 14th century – in titles, and in general.^[2]
• c. 1400 – general rule.^[2]
• 16th century – head of a religious order.^[9]
• 1576 – commander of an army.^[3]
• 1737 – general hospital.^[2]
• 1761 – generalization (Adam Smith).^[3]
• 1810 – general store.^[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Applying to or affecting the whole or every member of a class.
2. True of most cases, though not all; prevalent.
3. Not limited in scope; not specialized: general knowledge.
4. Not detailed or precise: a general idea.
5. Highest in rank; chief: secretary general.

Noun

1. An officer of the highest rank in an army.
2. A statement or principle that applies to the whole.
3. The head of a religious order.

Word family

• generalness

Related words

• genus
• generic
• gender
• generate
• generality
• generalissimo
• generous

Usage notes

RHWU distinguishes general, which means prevailing through a whole class or body, common, shared by all alike, popular, belonging to or favoured by the people at large, and universal, found everywhere without exception.^[10]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
9. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House