the entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time: the postwar generation.
2.
the term of years, roughly 30 among human beings, accepted as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.
3.
a group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes, etc. Compare Beat Generation, Lost Generation.
4.
a group of individuals belonging to a specific category at the same time: Chaplin belonged to the generation of silent-screen stars.
5.
a single step in natural descent, as of human beings, animals, or plants.
6.
a form, type, class, etc., of objects existing at the same time and having many similarities or developed from a common model or ancestor: a new generation of computers.
7.
the offspring of a certain parent or couple, considered as a step in natural descent.
8.
the act or process of generating; procreation.
9.
the state of being generated.
10.
production by natural or artificial processes; evolution, as of heat or sound.
11.
Biology.
a.
one complete life cycle.
b.
one of the alternate phases that complete a life cycle having more than one phase: the gametophyte generation.
12.
Mathematics. the production of a geometrical figure by the motion of another figure.
13.
Physics. one of the successive sets of nuclei produced in a chain reaction.
14.
(in duplicating processes, as photocopying, film, etc.) the distance in duplicating steps that a copy is from the original work.
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME generacioun < MF < L generātiōn- (s. of generātiō). See generate, -ion]
All of the offspring that are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor: Mother and daughters represent two generations.
Biology A form or stage in the life cycle of an organism: asexual generation of a fern.
The average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.
A group of individuals born and living about the same time.
A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes: "They're the television generation"(Roger Enrico).
A stage or period of sequential technological development and innovation.
A class of objects derived from a preceding class: a new generation of computers.
A stage or period of sequential technological development and innovation.
A class of objects derived from a preceding class: a new generation of computers.
The formation of a line or geometric figure by the movement of a point or line.
The act or process of generating; origination, production, or procreation.
c.1300, "offspring of the same parent," also "body of individuals born about the same period" (usually 30 years), from L. generationem (nom. generatio), from generare "bring forth" (see genus). Generator in the sense "machine that generates power" first recorded 1794; in sense of "machine that generates electric energy," 1879. Generation gap first recorded 1967; generation x is 1991, from Douglas Coupland book of that name. The verb generate is attested from 1509; originally "to beget;" in ref. to natural forces, conditions, substances. etc., attested from 1563.
Main Entry: gen·er·a·tion Pronunciation: "jen-&-'rA-sh&n Function: noun 1 a: a body of living beings constituting a
single step in the line of descent from an ancestor b: a group of individuals born and living contemporaneously 2: the average span of time between the birth of
parents and that of their offspring 3: the action or process of producing offspring :PROCREATION —gen·er·a·tion·al/-shn&l, -sh&n-&l/adjective
Al*ter"nate\ (?; 277), a. [L. alternatus, p. p. of alternate, fr. alternus. See Altern, Alter.]1. Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal. And bid alternate passions fall and rise. --Pope. 2. Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.; read every alternate line. 3. (Bot.) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence. --Gray. Alternate alligation. See Alligation. Alternate angles (Geom.), the internal and angles made by two lines with a third, on opposite sides of it. It the parallels AB, CD, are cut by the line EF, the angles AGH, GHD, as also the angles BGH and GHC, are called alternate angles. Alternate generation. (Biol.) See under Generation.
Al`ter*na"tion\, n. [L. alternatio: cf. F. alternation.]1. The reciprocal succession of things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence; as, the alternation of day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter, hope and fear. 2. (Math.) Permutation. 3. The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister. --Mason. Alternation of generation. See under Generation.
Gen`er*a"tion\, n. [OE. generacioun, F. g['e]n['e]ration, fr.L. generatio.]1. The act of generating or begetting; procreation, as of animals. 2. Origination by some process, mathematical, chemical, or vital; production; formation; as, the generation of sounds, of gases, of curves, etc. 3. That which is generated or brought forth; progeny; offspiring. 4. A single step or stage in the succession of natural descent; a rank or remove in genealogy. Hence: The body of those who are of the same genealogical rank or remove from an ancestor; the mass of beings living at one period; also, the average lifetime of man, or the ordinary period of time at which one rank follows another, or father is succeeded by child, usually assumed to be one third of a century; an age. This is the book of the generations of Adam. --Gen. v. 1. Ye shall remain there [in Babylon] many years, and for a long season, namely, seven generations. --Baruch vi. 3. All generations and ages of the Christian church. --Hooker. 5. Race; kind; family; breed; stock. Thy mother's of my generation; what's she, if I be a dog? --Shak. 6. (Geom.) The formation or production of any geometrical magnitude, as a line, a surface, a solid, by the motion, in accordance with a mathematical law, of a point or a magnitude; as, the generation of a line or curve by the motion of a point, of a surface by a line, a sphere by a semicircle, etc. 7. (Biol.) The aggregate of the functions and phenomene which attend reproduction. Note: There are four modes of generation in the animal kingdom: scissiparity or by fissiparous generation, gemmiparity or by budding, germiparity or by germs, and oviparity or by ova. Alternate generation (Biol.), alternation of sexual with asexual generation, in which the products of one process differ from those of the other, -- a form of reproduction common both to animal and vegetable organisms. In the simplest form, the organism arising from sexual generation produces offspiring unlike itself, agamogenetically. These, however, in time acquire reproductive organs, and from their impregnated germs the original parent form is reproduced. In more complicated cases, the first series of organisms produced agamogenetically may give rise to others by a like process, and these in turn to still other generations. Ultimately, however, a generation is formed which develops sexual organs, and the original form is reproduced. Spontaneous generation (Biol.), the fancied production of living organisms without previously existing parents from inorganic matter, or from decomposing organic matter, a notion which at one time had many supporters; abiogenesis.
Gen"e*sis\, n. [L., from Gr. ge`nesis, fr. the root of gi`gnesqai to beget, be born; akin to L. genus birth, race. See Gender.]1. The act of producing, or giving birth or origin to anything; the process or mode of originating; production; formation; origination. The origin and genesis of poor Sterling's club. --Carlyle. 2. The first book of the Old Testament; -- so called by the Greek translators, from its containing the history of the creation of the world and of the human race. 3. (Geom.) Same as Generation.
Met`a*gen"e*sis\, n. [Pref. meta- + genesis.]1. (Biol.) The change of form which one animal species undergoes in a series of successively produced individuals, extending from the one developed from the ovum to the final perfected individual. Hence, metagenesis involves the production of sexual individuals by nonsexual means, either directly or through intervening sexless generations. Opposed to monogenesis. See Alternate generation, under Generation. 2. (Biol.) Alternation of sexual and asexual or gemmiparous generations; -- in distinction from heterogamy.
Spon*ta"ne*ous\, a. [L. spontaneus, fr. sponte of free will, voluntarily.]1. Proceding from natural feeling, temperament, or disposition, or from a native internal proneness, readiness, or tendency, without constraint; as, a spontaneous gift or proportion. 2. Proceeding from, or acting by, internal impulse, energy, or natural law, without external force; as, spontaneous motion; spontaneous growth. 3. Produced without being planted, or without human labor; as, a spontaneous growth of wood. Spontaneous combustion, combustion produced in a substance by the evolution of heat through the chemical action of its own elements; as, the spontaneous combustion of waste matter saturated with oil. Spontaneous generation. (Biol.) See under Generation. Syn: Voluntary; uncompelled; willing. Usage: Spontaneous, Voluntary. What is voluntary is the result of a volition, or act of choice; it therefore implies some degree of consideration, and may be the result of mere reason without excited feeling. What is spontaneous springs wholly from feeling, or a sudden impulse which admits of no reflection; as, a spontaneous burst of applause. Hence, the term is also applied to things inanimate when they are produced without the determinate purpose or care of man. "Abstinence which is but voluntary fasting, and . . . exercise which is but voluntary labor." --J. Seed. Spontaneous joys, where nature has its play, The soul adopts, and owns their firstborn away. --Goldsmith. -- Spon*ta"ne*ous*ly, adv. -- Spon*ta"ne*ous*ness, n.
Gen. 2:4, "These are the generations," means the "history." 5:1, "The book of the generations," means a family register, or history of Adam. 37:2, "The generations of Jacob" = the history of Jacob and his descendants. 7:1, "In this generation" = in this age. Ps. 49:19, "The generation of his fathers" = the dwelling of his fathers, i.e., the grave. Ps. 73:15, "The generation of thy children" = the contemporary race. Isa. 53:8, "Who shall declare his generation?" = His manner of life who shall declare? or rather = His race, posterity, shall be so numerous that no one shall be able to declare it. In Matt. 1:17, the word means a succession or series of persons from the same stock. Matt. 3:7, "Generation of vipers" = brood of vipers. 24:34, "This generation" = the persons then living contemporary with Christ. 1 Pet. 2:9, "A chosen generation" = a chosen people. The Hebrews seem to have reckoned time by the generation. In the time of Abraham a generation was an hundred years, thus: Gen. 15:16, "In the fourth generation" = in four hundred years (comp. verse 13 and Ex. 12:40). In Deut. 1:35 and 2:14 a generation is a period of thirty-eight years.
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