Origin: Latin suffix -al
General has 16 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
a general officer of the highest rank
"The troops cheered loudly when their beloved general rode into town after leading them to victory."
the head of a religious order or congregation
"The new general announced that the monastery would open its doors to visitors next weekend."
a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular)
"he discussed the general but neglected the particular"
A general fact or proposition; a generality.
"The general ordered his troops to advance before dawn."
The military officer title
In plain English: A general is a high-ranking military officer who leads armies during wars.
"The general ordered his troops to advance at dawn."
Usage: Use "general" as a noun to refer specifically to a high-ranking military officer, such as in the phrase "a four-star general." Do not use it as a noun for an ordinary person or thing unless you are directly referencing that specific military rank.
To lead (soldiers) as a general.
"After years of training, he finally received his commission and was sent to serve in Iraq as a general leading the infantry division."
In plain English: To generalize means to say something applies to everyone when it really only fits some people.
"The army decided to general their forces before launching the final attack."
Usage: As a verb in everyday language, to generalize means to make a broad statement based on limited evidence rather than specific details. Do not confuse this with the noun form meaning to command an army or the rare archaic sense of leading troops.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
"the general public"
"general assistance"
"a general rule"
"in general terms"
"comprehensible to the general reader"
somewhat indefinite
"bearing a general resemblance to the original"
"a general description of the merchandise"
of worldwide scope or applicability
"an issue of cosmopolitan import"
"the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time"
"universal experience"
Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole etc.; as opposed to specific or particular.
"The general population will soon see how much their daily habits affect the planet's future."
In plain English: General means something that applies to many things instead of just one specific thing.
Usage: Use "general" to describe something that applies broadly to all parts of a group rather than a specific individual case. This adjective is often paired with words like information, knowledge, or audience to indicate a lack of detail or specificity.
In a general or collective manner or sense; in most cases; upon the whole.
"While there were some minor issues, the project was generally successful overall."
In plain English: It means something is done in a broad way without focusing on specific details.
"He spoke generally about his trip without mentioning specific names."
Usage: Use "general" as an adverb to mean roughly, approximately, or on the whole when describing a statement that is not exact but holds true for most cases. Avoid using it this way if you need precise accuracy, and never use it to modify specific nouns like "good" or "bad.
Short for General Hospital. or "X General Hospital" (where X is a stand-in for another part of the name), a common hospital name.
"After my surgery, I was transferred from St. Mary's to General because they had more available beds."
The word "general" comes from the Latin generālis, which was formed by combining genus (meaning "class" or "kind") with the suffix -ālis. It entered English through Middle French and Anglo-Norman, eventually becoming a doublet of the word "generic."