Dictionary entries for 'generate'

Synonyms

gen·er·ate (jĕńə-rāt́)

[Latin generāre, generāt-, to produce, from genus, gener-, birth.]

transitive verb: -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.

1. To bring into being; give rise to: generate a discussion.
2. To produce as a result of a chemical or physical process: generate heat.
To engender (offspring); procreate.
Mathematics To form (a geometric figure) by describing a curve or surface.
Computer Science To produce (a program) by instructing a computer to follow given parameters with a skeleton program.
Linguistics To construct (a sentence, for example), as in generative grammar.