engender
UK[ɪnˈdʒɛndə]US[ɪnˈdʒɛndər]
v
to cause a feeling or situation to exist
v
(archaic) to procreate or beget offspring
Morpheme Breakdown
en
gender
en
cause to be
gender
kind, type
Etymology
the word 'engender' entered english in the 14th century from the old french 'engendrer', which itself derives from the latin verb 'ingenerare', meaning 'to beget, produce, or cause'. the latin root is composed of 'in-' (in, into) and 'generare' (to beget, produce), from 'genus' meaning 'race, kind, stock'. the core semantic thread from its proto-indo-european root gene- (to give birth, beget) is the concept of bringing something into existence. this evolved from the literal, biological sense of procreation to the more abstract and modern meaning of causing a condition, feeling, or situation to arise.
Analysis
Structure: en (cause to be) + gender (kind, type)
en- (prefix of latin origin, meaning 'to cause to be, put into'); gender (from latin 'genus' via old french 'gendre', meaning 'kind, sort, type')
Examples
the new policy is likely to engender widespread public debate.
his harsh words engendered a deep sense of resentment among the team.
in older literary texts, the verb was often used to mean engender children.