gen

«gen» in Mova's school dictionary: short for «generation», as in «Gen Z» or «Gen Alpha», a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (gen — UK informal: information; Gen — short for generation; Gen. — General, Genesis); adverb (UK slang «gen» = genuinely)

meaning for a pupil

1) (informal) «Gen» is short for «generation», as in «Gen Z» or «Gen Alpha», a group of people born around the same time. tree →

2) (UK slang) «Gen» means «genuinely» or «honestly»: «I'm gen tired». tree →

3) (UK, informal, old-fashioned) «The gen» means the information or the facts: «give me the gen». tree →

4) (abbreviation) «Gen.» is short for the army rank General, and «Gen» for the Bible book Genesis. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday talk children hear «Gen Z» and «Gen Alpha» used about age groups, and in games «next-gen» means the newest version of consoles. In UK playground slang «gen» means «for real». In church and Bible lessons, «Gen 1:1» means Genesis, chapter one, verse one — the first verse of the Bible. In history, «Gen.» is a rank written before a name: «Gen. Washington».

examples

• My older cousin says she is Gen Z. tree →
• Children born recently are sometimes called Gen Alpha. tree →
• «That was gen the best film ever», said Callum. tree →
• The new next-gen console came out at the weekend. tree →
• Look up Gen 1:1 — the first verse of the Bible. tree →
• Gen. Eisenhower led the soldiers. tree →
• Grandad asked for «the gen» on the school trip. tree →

note

Mostly informal or an abbreviation, not a full word in careful writing; in essays write «generation», «genuinely», «General» or «Genesis». «Gen» is said with a soft «j» sound, like «jen». Do not confuse it with «gene» (part of DNA) or «gem» (a jewel).

In the corpora

• To "vibe" in Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang means to go with the feeling, without a plan.
• Gen Alpha children shout "skibidi" as a funny word that means nothing in particular.
• Sam wants chess club; Jake says chess is «mid» — Gen Z for boring, nothing special.
• «Girl, you ate!» says her big sister (Gen Z slang for «you look amazing»).
• «It's giving stranger,» Malachi mutters (Gen Z slang for «he's acting like a stranger»).

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «gen» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.