Etymology : Latin generatus, past participle of generare, from gener-, genus descent, birth; more at KIN
Pronunciation : 'je-n&-"rAt
Function : transitive verb
Date : 1509
1. create, produce; bring into being. generate\gen"er*ate\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. generated ; p. pr. & vb. n. generating.] [l. generatus, p. p. of generare to generate, fr. genus. see:
genus, gender.].
2. to beget; to procreate; to propagate; to produce (a being similar to the parent); to engender; as, every animal generates its own species.
3. to cause to be; to bring into life.
4. to originate, especially by a vital or chemical process; to produce; to cause. whatever generates a quantity of good chyle must likewise generate milk.
5. (math.) to trace out, as a line, figure, or solid, by the motion of a point or a magnitude of inferior order.generate v.
6. bring into existence; "the new manager generated a lot of problems"; "the computer bug generated chaos in the office" [syn: bring forth].
7. give or supply; "the cow brings in 5 liters of milk"; "this year's crop yielded 1,000 bushels of corn"; "the estate renders some revenue for the family" [syn: render, yield, return, give].
8. produce (energy); "we can't generate enough power for the entire city"; "the hydroelectric plant needs to to generate more electricity".
9. make children; "abraham begot isaac"; "men often father children but don't recognize them" [syn: beget, get, engender, father, mother, sire, bring forth].
10. To beget; to procreate; to propagate; to produce ; to engender; as, every animal generates its own species.
11. To cause to be; to bring into life.
12. To originate, especially by a vital or chemical process; to produce; to cause.
13. To trace out, as a line, figure, or solid, by the motion of a point or a magnitude of inferior order. bring into existence; "The new manager generated a lot of problems"; "The computer bug generated chaos in the office" produce ; "We can't generate enough power for the entire city"; "The hydroelectric plant needs to to generate more electricity".
14. 1. To generate something means to cause it to begin and develop. The Employment Minister said the reforms would generate new jobs. the excitement generated by the changes in Eastern Europe. = create.
15. To generate a form of energy or power means to produce it. The company, New England Electric, burns coal to generate power.