Generic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɪˈnɛɹɪk/

Definitions

1. Relating to, or characteristic of a class or group rather than a specific instance
2. lacking originality or uniqueness
3. applicable to or representing all members of a category without special traits

Etymology: Generic comes from Latin "genus," meaning "kind" or "class," the same root behind "genre," "gender," and "genealogy." The Latin adjective "generalis" and its relatives all grew from that idea of belonging to a whole class rather than an individual member of it. The English word is borrowed through Middle French "générique," which kept the sense of something that applies to a whole kind of thing. The word's modern sense of "lacking originality" grew out of that classifying meaning. Something generic is the sort of thing that belongs to its class without standing out from it, so the notion of being ordinary or unremarkable followed naturally. The same idea of "kind" gave us the sense of an unbranded product, which is why generic drugs and goods are named after their type rather than a maker.

Synonyms: general, common, standard, unbranded, typical

Antonyms: specific, distinctive, unique, special, individual