general
English Edit
Alternative forms Edit
- generall (chiefly archaic)
Etymology Edit
From Middle English general, in turn from Anglo-Norman general, generall, Middle French general, and their source, Latin generālis, from genus (“class, kind”) + -ālis (“-al”); thus morphologically parallel with, and a doublet of, generic.
Pronunciation Edit
- (UK, US) enPR: jĕnʹ(ə)rəl, IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/
Audio (US) (file)
- Hyphenation: gene‧ral, (chiefly US) gen‧er‧al
- Rhymes: (US) -ɛnəɹəl
Adjective Edit
general (comparative more general, superlative most general)
- Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole etc.; as opposed to specific or particular. [from 13th c.]
- c. 1495, John Skelton, "Vppon a deedman's hed":
- It is generall / To be mortall: / I haue well espyde / No man may hym hyde / From Deth holow eyed […] .
- 1842, Douglas Jerrold, “Mr Peppersorn ‘At Home’”, in Cakes and Ale:
- "Among us!" was the general shout, and Peppersorn sat frozen to his chair.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, “Stoicism”, in History of Western Philosophy, book 1, part 3:
- Undoubtedly the age of the Antonines was much better than any later age until the Renaissance, from the point of view of the general happiness.
- 2006 October 15, Ruth Sutherland, “Invite public to the private equity party”, in The Observer:
- One advantage of having profitable companies in Britain is that they pay large sums in corporate tax into the Exchequer, which in theory at least is used for the general good.
- (sometimes postpositive) Applied to a person (as a postmodifier or a normal preceding adjective) to indicate supreme rank, in civil or military titles, and later in other terms; pre-eminent. [from 14th c.]
- 1865, Edward Cust, Lives of the Warriors of the Thirty Years War, page 527:
- For these successes he obtained the rank of Field-Marshal General.
- 2002, James Turner, Libertines and Radicals in Early Modern London, page 122:
- He becomes the chief chartered libertine, the whoremaster-general flourishing his "standard" over a female army […] .
- Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual. [from 14th c.]
- 1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter IX, in Rob Roy:
- ‘I can't quite afford you the sympathy you expect upon this score,’ I replied; ‘the misfortune is so general, that it belongs to one half of the species […] .’
- 2008 December 20, John Patterson, “Home movies”, in The Guardian:
- The general opinion on Baz Luhrmann's overstuffed epic Australia seems to be that it throws in everything but the kitchen sink, and then tosses that in too, just to be sure.
- Not limited in use or application; applicable across a broad range. [from 14th c.]
- 1924 March 17, Time:
- M. Venizelos went to Athens from Paris early last January in response to a general invitation from the Greek populace.
- 1947 October 20, “Russian Catechism”, in Time:
- Already in the primary school work is conducted for the purpose of equipping the pupils with those elements of general knowledge which are closely related to the military preparation of future warriors.
- 2009, Douglas P. Zipes, Saturday Evening Post, volume 281, number 1, page 20:
- Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a general term indicating a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) coming from the top chambers of the heart - in essence, above (supra) the lower chamber (ventricular).
- Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite. [from 16th c.]
- 1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter X, in Rob Roy:
- As she thus spoke, the entrance of the servants with dinner cut off all conversation but that of a general nature.
- 1941, W Somerset Maugham, Up at the Villa, Vintage, published 2004, page 24:
- There was a moment's pause. The Princess broke in with some casual remark and once more the conversation became general.
- 2006 July 16, Kevin Nance, “Ghosts of the White City”, in Chicago Sun-Times:
- The quick answer is that the 1893 Exposition was simply so important — "the greatest event in the history of the country since the Civil War," as Harper's put it that October — but that feels too general.
- 2008, Robert P. Maloney, “The Quiet Carpenter”, in America, volume 199, number 19, page 18:
- Given the scarcity of relevant historical detail in the New Testament, we are left with only a general outline about Joseph.
- Not of a specific class; miscellaneous. [from 16th c.]
- 2007, Alan Cheuse, “A Little Death”, in Southern Review, volume 43, number 3, page 692:
- His measured, springless walk was the walk of the skilled countryman as distinct from the desultory shamble of the general labourer […] .
Synonyms Edit
- (involving every part or member): broad, generic; see also Thesaurus:generic
- (prevalent or widespread): typical; see also Thesaurus:common
Antonyms Edit
- (involving every part or member): particular, specific; see also Thesaurus:specific
- (prevalent or widespread): abnormal, uncommon
Related terms Edit
Translations Edit
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Noun Edit
general (countable and uncountable, plural generals)
- (military) The holder of a senior military title, originally designating the commander of an army and now a specific rank falling under field marshal (in the British army) and below general of the army or general of the air force in the US army and air forces. [from 16th c.]
- A great strategist or tactician. [from 16th c.]
- Hannibal was one of the greatest generals of the ancient world.
- (now rare) A general fact or proposition; a generality. [from 16th c.]
- We have dealt with the generals; now let us turn to the particulars.
- (Christianity) The head of certain religious orders, especially Dominicans or Jesuits. [from 16th c.]
- (nautical) A commander of naval forces; an admiral. [16th–18th c.]
- (colloquial, now historical) A general servant; a maid with no specific duties. [from 19th c.]
- 1918 March, Rebecca West [pseudonym; Cicily Isabel Fairfield], chapter I, in The Return of the Soldier, 1st US edition, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 18:
- My general is sister to your second housemaid.
- (countable) A general anesthetic.
- (uncountable) General anesthesia.
- (uncountable, insurance) The general insurance industry.
- I work in general.
- (xiangqi) A xiangqi piece that is moved one point orthogonally and confined within the palace.
Usage notes Edit
When used as a title, it is always capitalized, as in “General John Doe”.
The rank corresponds to pay grade O-10. Abbreviations: GEN.
Hyponyms Edit
(high-ranking military officer):
- brigadier general
- colonel general
- general of the air force
- general of the army
- lieutenant general
- major general
- sergeant major general, sergeant-major general
Coordinate terms Edit
Translations Edit
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also Edit
Xiangqi pieces in English (see also: xiangqi) (layout · text) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
general | advisor | elephant | horse | chariot | cannon | soldier |
Verb Edit
general (third-person singular simple present generals, present participle generalling or generaling, simple past and past participle generalled or generaled)
Adverb Edit
general (not comparable)
- (obsolete) In a general or collective manner or sense; in most cases; upon the whole.
Derived terms Edit
- abbot general
- accountant general
- adjutant-general
- adjutant general
- advocate general
- agent general
- annual general meeting
- artificial general intelligence
- attorney-general
- attorney general
- bond for general purposes
- brigadier general
- buck general
- captain general
- caviar to the general
- colonel general
- commanding general
- commissary general
- consulate general
- consul-general
- consul general
- director general
- director-general
- dynamic stochastic general equilibrium
- extraordinary general meeting
- farmer-general
- floor general
- general anaesthesia
- general anaesthetic
- general assembly
- general availability
- general aviation
- general cargo
- general classification
- general continued fraction
- general contractor
- general delivery
- general education
- general election
- general formula
- general goods
- general hospital
- general insurer
- general intelligent action
- generalisation, generalization
- generalise, generalize
- general issue
- generality
- general knowledge
- general ledger
- general line
- general linear group
- generally
- general manager
- general office
- general officer
- general paralysis
- general paralysis of the insane
- general paresis
- general paresis of the insane
- general partnership
- general population
- general practice
- general practitioner
- general public
- general-purpose
- general relativity
- general retainer
- general secretary
- general semantics
- general staff
- general store
- general strike
- general studies
- general surgery
- general warrant
- gold general
- governor-general, governor general
- heir general
- in general
- inspector general
- lieutenant general
- major-general
- major general
- out-general
- paper general
- postmaster general
- receiver-general
- registrar-general
- secretary general
- secretary-general
- sergeant major general, sergeant-major general
- silver general
- solicitor general
- surgeon general
- surgeon-general
- surveyor general
- vicar-general
- witchfinder general
Anagrams Edit
Azerbaijani Edit
Alternative forms Edit
- yaranal (archaic)
Etymology Edit
Ultimately from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
general (definite accusative generalı, plural generallar)
Declension Edit
Declension of general | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | |||||||
nominative | general |
generallar | ||||||
definite accusative | generalı |
generalları | ||||||
dative | generala |
generallara | ||||||
locative | generalda |
generallarda | ||||||
ablative | generaldan |
generallardan | ||||||
definite genitive | generalın |
generalların |
Further reading Edit
- “general” in Obastan.com.
Catalan Edit
Etymology Edit
Borrowed from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
general m or f (masculine and feminine plural generals)
Noun Edit
general m (plural generals, feminine generala)
Derived terms Edit
Further reading Edit
- “general” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “general”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
- “general” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “general” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Danish Edit
Noun Edit
general c (singular definite generalen, plural indefinite generaler)
Inflection Edit
common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | general | generalen | generaler | generalerne |
genitive | generals | generalens | generalers | generalernes |
Ladin Edit
Adjective Edit
general m (feminine singular generala, masculine plural generai, feminine plural generales)
Middle English Edit
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology Edit
From a mixture of Anglo-Norman general, Middle French general, and Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
general
- universal, complete
- comprehensive, wide-ranging
- general, widely useable or applicable
- common, widely present
Derived terms Edit
Descendants Edit
References Edit
- “ǧenerāl, adj. & n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-01.
Noun Edit
general (plural generals)
References Edit
- “ǧenerāl, adj. & n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-01.
Norwegian Bokmål Edit
Noun Edit
general m (definite singular generalen, indefinite plural generaler, definite plural generalene)
Derived terms Edit
Norwegian Nynorsk Edit
Noun Edit
general m (definite singular generalen, indefinite plural generalar, definite plural generalane)
Derived terms Edit
Old French Edit
Etymology Edit
Borrowed from Latin generālis.
Noun Edit
general m (oblique plural generaus or generax or generals, nominative singular generaus or generax or generals, nominative plural general)
Adjective Edit
general m (oblique and nominative feminine singular generale)
- general (not limited in use or application; applicable to the whole or every member of a class or category)
Declension Edit
Descendants Edit
Portuguese Edit
Etymology Edit
Learned borrowing from Latin generālis. Doublet of geral.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
general m (plural generais, feminine generala, feminine plural generalas)
Descendants Edit
- → Tetum: jenerál
Further reading Edit
- “general” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
Romanian Edit
Etymology Edit
Borrowed from French général, from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
general m (plural generali)
Declension Edit
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) general | generalul | (niște) generali | generalii |
genitive/dative | (unui) general | generalului | (unor) generali | generalilor |
vocative | generalule | generalilor |
Adjective Edit
general m or n (feminine singular generală, masculine plural generali, feminine and neuter plural generale)
Declension Edit
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
nominative/ accusative |
indefinite | general | generală | generali | generale | ||
definite | generalul | generala | generalii | generalele | |||
genitive/ dative |
indefinite | general | generale | generali | generale | ||
definite | generalului | generalei | generalilor | generalelor |
Related terms Edit
Serbo-Croatian Edit
Etymology Edit
Borrowed from German General, from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
genèrāl m (Cyrillic spelling генѐра̄л)
Declension Edit
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | genèrāl | generali |
genitive | generála | generala |
dative | generalu | generalima |
accusative | generala | generale |
vocative | generale | generali |
locative | generalu | generalima |
instrumental | generalom | generalima |
Slovene Edit
Etymology Edit
From German General, from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
generȃl m anim (female equivalent generȃlica or generȃlka)
Inflection Edit
Masculine anim., hard o-stem | |||
---|---|---|---|
nom. sing. | generál | ||
gen. sing. | generála | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative (imenovȃlnik) |
generál | generála | generáli |
genitive (rodȋlnik) |
generála | generálov | generálov |
dative (dajȃlnik) |
generálu | generáloma | generálom |
accusative (tožȋlnik) |
generála | generála | generále |
locative (mẹ̑stnik) |
generálu | generálih | generálih |
instrumental (orọ̑dnik) |
generálom | generáloma | generáli |
Further reading Edit
- “general”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
Spanish Edit
Etymology Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
general m or f (masculine and feminine plural generales)
Derived terms Edit
- anestesia general
- capitán general
- capitanía general
- consulado general
- Cortes Senerales
- cuartel general
- dirección general
- en general
- en líneas generales
- ensayo general
- equilibrio general dinámico estocástico
- estado general
- estudio general
- gastos generales
- generalidad
- generalización
- generalizar
- generalmente
- gobernador general
- huelga general
- inquisidor general
- plano general
- por lo general
- por punto general
- por regla general
- procurador síndico general
- relatividad general
- teniente general
- vicario general
- visión general
- voluntad general
Noun Edit
general m (plural generales, feminine general or generala, feminine plural generales or generalas)
Noun Edit
general f (plural generales)
- (informal, in the plural) general elections
Derived terms Edit
Descendants Edit
Further reading Edit
- “general”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Swedish Edit
Etymology Edit
From German General, from Old French general, from Latin generālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
general c
- a general; a military title[1]
- an Air Chief Marshal[1]
Declension Edit
Declension of general | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | general | generalen | generaler | generalerna |
Genitive | generals | generalens | generalers | generalernas |
Descendants Edit
- → Finnish: kenraali
References Edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Utrikes namnbok (7th ed., 2007) →ISBN