verb (used with object), gen·er·at·ed, gen·er·at·ing.
- to bring into existence; cause to be; produce.
- to create by a vital or natural process.
- to create and distribute vitally and profusely: He generates ideas that we all should consider. A good diplomat generates good will.
- to reproduce; procreate.
- to produce by a chemical process.
- Mathematics.
- to trace (a figure) by the motion of a point, straight line, or curve.
- to act as base for all the elements of a given set: The number 2 generates the set 2, 4, 8, 16.
- Linguistics. to produce or specify (a grammatical sentence or other construction or set of constructions) by the application of a rule or set of rules in a generative grammar.
verb (used without object), gen·er·at·ed, gen·er·at·ing.
- to reproduce; propagate.
verb (mainly tr)
- to produce or bring into being; create
- (also intr) to produce (electricity), esp in a power station
- to produce (a substance) by a chemical process
- maths linguistics to provide a precise criterion or specification for membership in (a set)these rules will generate all the noun phrases in English
- geometry to trace or form by moving a point, line, or plane in a specific waycircular motion of a line generates a cylinder
c.1500, “to beget” (offspring), a back-formation from generation or else from Latin generatus, past participle of generare “to beget, produce” (see generation); originally “to beget;” in reference to natural forces, conditions, substances, etc., attested from 1560s. Related: Generated; generating.