Etymology of the English word generous
the English word
generousderived from the Old French word
generousderived from the Latin word
generosus (noble, of noble birth; of good family)
derived from the Latin word
genus (birth, descent, origin; noble birth; kind, sort)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*genə-derived from the French word
genereuxderived from the Latin word
generosus (noble, of noble birth; of good family)
derived from the Latin word
genus (birth, descent, origin; noble birth; kind, sort)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*genə-Date
The earliest known usage of generous in English dates from the 16th century.
Derivations in English
ungenerousCognates
Dutch
genereus, German
generös, Norwegian
sjeneros, Swedish
generösUsage
Word found in Modern English
