engender
part of speech
verb (engender, engenders, engendered, engendering)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) To engender a feeling or situation is to cause it or make it begin: «Kindness engenders trust». tree →
2) (old use) To engender a child is to father it; this sense is found only in very old books. tree →
sense in the lessons
A formal, exam-style word for «cause» or «create», used mostly about feelings and attitudes, not about physical things. In essays and reports you might write that a policy «engendered anger» or a teacher «engendered a love of reading». Phrases: «engender trust», «engender fear», «engender respect».
examples
- Fair rules engender respect in the class. tree →
- His rude jokes engendered a lot of anger. tree →
- The coach's praise engendered confidence in the team. tree →
- Rumours can engender fear in a small town. tree →
- Good teamwork engenders friendship. tree →
- The new law engendered a long debate in Parliament. tree →
- Their blood, a bright ethereal fluid called Ichor, never engendered disease, and, when shed, had the power of producing new life. tree →
note
Formal; in speech say «cause» or «create». It is followed by an abstract noun (trust, fear, hope), not by a thing like «a cake». Not related to the word «gender» in meaning, though they share an old root meaning «to produce».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «engender» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.