first-generation

The term is a modern English compound, combining the native English ordinal "first" with the Latinate noun "generation." The concept of "generation," stemming from the Latin generare (to beget), refers to a single stage in a line of descent. When prefixed with "first," it creates a precise adjective to denote the initial stage in a familial, technological, or social lineage. This logical construction allows it to describe both the pioneering model of a device and the inaugural group of immigrants or college graduates within a family, linking the fundamental idea of primacy with the process of lineal or developmental succession.

Structure: first (ordinal) + generation (descent group) - first: From Old English fyrst, fyrest (foremost, earliest). Germanic origin, related to Old High German furist. Functions as an ordinal numeral adjective. - generation: From Latin generationem (a begetting, bringing forth), from generare (to beget). The root gener- (race, kind) is present in the English spelling. Functions as a noun, here forming the second element of a compound adjective.