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# gen

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

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

## Everyday

1. (informal) «Gen» is short for «generation», as in «Gen Z» or «Gen Alpha», a group of people born around the same time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#m1)
2. (UK slang) «Gen» means «genuinely» or «honestly»: «I'm gen tired». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#m2)
3. (UK, informal, old-fashioned) «The gen» means the information or the facts: «give me the gen». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#m3)
4. (abbreviation) «Gen.» is short for the army rank General, and «Gen» for the Bible book Genesis. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#m4)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x1)
- Children born recently are sometimes called Gen Alpha. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x2)
- «That was gen the best film ever», said Callum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x3)
- The new next-gen console came out at the weekend. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x4)
- Look up Gen 1:1 — the first verse of the Bible. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x5)
- Gen. Eisenhower led the soldiers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x6)
- Grandad asked for «the gen» on the school trip. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gen/#x7)

### 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).

## On Mova

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