From Latin 'generōsus' (of noble birth), from 'genus' (birth) — shifted from 'highborn' to 'magnanimous' to 'freelygiving.'
Definition
Showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected; kind and liberal.
The Full Story
Latin16th centurywell-attested
From Latin generōsus (of noble birth, high-born, magnanimous, excellent in quality), from genus (birth, race, family, kind, type), from PIE *ǵenh₁- (to beget, to give birth, to produce). The original meaningwas purely about lineage: a generous person was one of noble stock, born into an aristocratic family. Generosity was understood as a natural expression of noble character, a virtue inherent to those of good
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Theword 'generous' originally had nothing to do with giving — it meant 'of noble birth.' A generous person wasoneborn into a good family. The assumption was that the wellborn would naturally be magnanimous, which is how 'generous' shifted from a statement about blood to a statement about character. The
, genesis, genetic, genius, genre, gender, gentle (originally well-born), genuine (of pure stock), nation, native, nature, kin, and kind. To be generous is therefore linguistically to act as someone of good stock — the word still carries the ghost of its aristocratic origin in every act of giving. Key roots: *ǵenh₁- (Proto-Indo-European: "to beget, to give birth").