Coined 1883 from Greek 'eu-' (good) + 'genos' (race) — 'well-born' conscripted into ideology to justify forced sterilization.
Definition
The study or practice of attempting to improve the genetic composition of a population, especially by selective breeding; now widely regarded as ethically unacceptable in its historical forms.
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Greek1883well-attested
Coined in 1883 by Francis Galton from Greek eugenes (well-born, of noble race), a compound of eu- (good, well) + genos (race, kind, birth). Greek eu- derives from PIE *h1esu- (good), which also producedSanskrit su- (good, well) as in Svastika ("well-being") and Old Irish su- (good). Greek genos comes from PIE *genh1- (to beget, give birth), one of the most prolific Indo-European roots, yielding Latin genus (kind), Latin gens (clan, people), Greek gignomai (I am born), English
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Thename 'Eugene' shares the same root as 'eugenics' — Greek 'eugenēs' (well-born, noble). The personal name means 'of good stock' and was popular among early Christians, particularly through Saint Eugene. Four popes took the name. The sinister associations of 'eugenics' have never attached to the personal name,
people of noble birth. The term's scientific veneer masked ideological assumptions from the start. After the Nazi regime implemented eugenic policies to genocidal ends, the word became permanently associated with racial pseudoscience, forced sterilization, and crimes against humanity. Modern genetics has wholly rejected eugenic frameworks, though the ethical questions about genetic selection persist under different terminology. Key roots: eu- (Greek: "good, well"), genos (Greek: "race, kind, offspring"), *ǵenh₁- (Proto-Indo-European: "to give birth, to beget").