Etymology

generalize

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Today it means: To speak in generalities, or in vague terms. Full definition →

English general ← Middle English general ← Latin generālis
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
  3. Proto-Italic*genos
  4. Latingenus, generis
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Latingenerāli
  8. Anglo-Normangenera
  9. Middle Frenchgenera
  10. Latingenerālis
  11. Middle Englishgeneral
  12. Englishgeneral
  13. English todaygeneralize

From general + -ize.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.