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GEN: the Greek root meaning “birth, produce”

GEN comes from Greek and means “birth, produce”. You can see it in allergen, antigen and genome. WordPith uses it in 15 words.

Meaning
birth, produce
Origin
Greek
Type
Root
Also spelled
GENEA
Word lists
Core Roots, MCAT / NCLEX / UCAT, Medical Terms, Science & Tech

Words built from GEN

ALLERGEN

allergen

A substance that provokes an allergic reaction

Greek allos ergon, altered work — coined in 1906.

ANTIGEN

antigen

Anything the immune system will make an antibody against

A contraction of antibody generator: the word is built from another word’s initials.

GENOME

genome

The complete set of an organism’s genes

Gene plus -ome, the suffix that means the whole of a class.

OXYGEN

oxygen

The element every breath is for

Sharp plus producing: Lavoisier named it acid-former, wrongly, in 1777.

PATHOGEN

pathogen

Something that produces disease

Suffering-maker. Not every microbe is one, and most are not.

PHOTOGENIC

photogenic

Looking good in photographs

Literally, producing light — the sense drifted from the darkroom to the sitter.

ANDROGEN

androgen

A hormone that drives male characteristics

Greek aner, andros, a man. Android and polyandry are male too.

CARCINOGEN

carcinogen

Anything that causes cancer

Cancer plus producing. Greek karkinos, crab — Hippocrates thought tumours looked like one.

COLLAGEN

collagen

The main structural protein of connective tissue

Greek kolla, glue — boiling it down is how glue was made.

CRYOGENIC

cryogenic

To do with very low temperatures

Greek kryos, icy cold.

ESTROGEN

estrogen

The principal female sex hormone

Greek oistros, a gadfly and so a frenzy — the root of oestrus.

GLYCOGEN

glycogen

The storage form of glucose in liver and muscle

Greek glykys, sweet — the sugar-maker.

HYDROGEN

hydrogen

The lightest element, the H in H2O

Water-producer: named by Lavoisier in the 1780s because burning it makes water.

PHYLOGENY

phylogeny

The evolutionary history of a group

Greek phylon, a tribe. Ontogeny is the history of one individual.

TERATOGEN

teratogen

An agent that causes birth defects

Greek teras, teratos, a monster or portent.

Quick check

1. Which word means: To do with very low temperatures?

2. Which word means: Looking good in photographs?

3. Which word means: A hormone that drives male characteristics?

Roots that pair with GEN

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