General

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/

Definitions

1. Affecting or concerning all or most people, places, or things; widespread rather than specific or particular
2. Relating to or applicable to the majority or whole of something
3. not limited to a specific instance but rather encompassing a broader aspect of a subject or category

Etymology: The word "general" comes from Latin "generalis," built from "genus" (meaning "class" or "kind") and the suffix "-alis," which gives the sense "of or belonging to." So at its root it simply means "of a kind," that is, something that applies across a whole class of things rather than to one particular item. That idea of belonging to a whole group is what carries through every later sense. The word reached English by a winding route. It passed through Anglo-Norman and Middle French before appearing in Middle English, where it was used to mean something affecting or relating to all members of a group. The sense "affecting most people," the one you are asking about, grows naturally from that original idea of applying to a whole class. The same root sits behind a family of English words, including "genus," "gender," and "generate," all tracing back to the Latin "genus." Those share an ancestor with "general" but took different paths, so they are relatives rather than descendants of one another.

Synonyms: universal, common, overall

Antonyms: specific, particular