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Generations

 [jen-uh-rey-shuhn]   Origin

gen·er·a·tion

   [jen-uh-rey-shuhn]
noun
1.
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.
EXPAND
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 (often used in combination): a new generation of anticancer drugs; a third-generation phone.
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.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English generacioun < Middle French < Latin generātiōn- (stem of generātiō). See generate, -ion

Related forms
gen·er·a·tion·al, adjective
gen·er·a·tion·al·ly, adverb
in·ter·gen·er·a·tion, noun
pre·gen·er·a·tion, noun
sub·gen·er·a·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Generations is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

generation
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
EXPAND
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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

generation gen·er·a·tion (jěn'ə-rā'shən)
n.

  1. A form or stage in the life cycle of an organism.

  2. All of the offspring that are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor.

  3. The average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

  4. A group of individuals born and living about the same time.

  5. A group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes.

  6. The act or process of generating; origination, production, or procreation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
generation   (jěn'ə-rā'shən)  Pronunciation Key 

    1. All of the offspring that are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor.

    2. The average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

  2. A form or stage in the life cycle of an organism. See more at alternation of generations.

  3. The formation of a line or geometric figure by the movement of a point or line.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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