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# engender

verb (engender, engenders, engendered, engendering)

«engender» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) To engender a feeling or situation is to cause it or make it begin: «Kindness engenders trust». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#m1)
2. (old use) To engender a child is to father it; this sense is found only in very old books. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#m2)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x1)
- His rude jokes engendered a lot of anger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x2)
- The coach's praise engendered confidence in the team. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x3)
- Rumours can engender fear in a small town. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x4)
- Good teamwork engenders friendship. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x5)
- The new law engendered a long debate in Parliament. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x6)
- Their blood, a bright ethereal fluid called Ichor, never engendered disease, and, when shed, had the power of producing new life. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/#x7)

### 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».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «engender» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/engender/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«engender» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/engender.html) on Mova free.