Generous

How to spell generous

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce generous

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does generous mean?

1. adjectiveWilling to give money, help, or time freely and more than is usual or expected.
2. adjectiveLarger or more plentiful than is necessary or typical.

Generous in a sentence

• Her generous donation covered the cost of the new library.

• The recipe calls for a generous pinch of salt.

• The company offers a generous pension to long-serving staff.

• The hotel served a generous breakfast that kept us going until late afternoon.

Where does generous come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin generosus, which originally meant 'of noble birth' or 'belonging to a good family'. That adjective was built on genus, meaning 'birth, stock, or race', the same root that gives us 'gene', 'genus', and 'generation'. English took the word in through Old French in the late 1500s, and at first it still carried the idea of being high-born and well-bred. Over time the sense shifted from noble blood to noble behaviour: the qualities expected of a gentleman, especially openhandedness and a readiness to give. By the 1600s the dominant meaning had settled on the modern one of being free in giving and unselfish. The spelling keeps the steady -gener- stem from genus, which is a useful anchor against the schwa in the middle that tempts some writers astray.

How the word is built

• gener- (from genus: birth, stock, noble race)
• -ous (full of, adjective suffix)