To generate electricity is to produce it, a gene passes traits from parents to children and a genre is a kind of story. All three come from gen, a root that Greek and Latin share, meaning “birth,” “kind” or “produce.” A second Greek root, morph, means “form” or “shape”: a caterpillar’s metamorphosis is its change of shape.
Key idea
gen = birth, kind, produce. morph = form, shape.
gen hides in words that look nothing alike: genesis (a birth, a beginning), congenital (present from birth), engender (to give birth to, cause), ingenious (clever, as if born with talent) and ingenuous (innocent, as if freshly born).
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| genesis the origin or coming into being | gen birth + -esis → “a birth (a beginning)” |
| congenital present from birth | con- with + genit born + -al → “born with” |
| engender to cause or give rise to | en- in + gender beget, produce → “bring into being” |
| ingenious clever and inventive | in- in + geni inborn talent + -ous → “full of inborn talent” |
| ingenuous innocent and trusting; frank | in- in + genu born + -ous → “freeborn, open and innocent” |
| anthropomorphic giving human form or traits to animals or things | anthrop human being + morph shape + -ic → “in human shape” |
| metamorphosis a complete change of form | meta change + morph shape + -osis → “a change of shape” |
| amorphous having no clear shape | a- without + morph shape + -ous → “without shape” |
Worked example: Two look-alikes
Which word fits: (1) “Lila’s ______ plan used a garden hose to water every plant at once.” (2) “The ______ toddler believed every word of the story.”
- Both words have in- + gen, the root of birth.
- ingenious: full of inborn talent, so clever and inventive.
- ingenuous: as innocent as someone newly born, so trusting and frank.
Answer: (1) ingenious; (2) ingenuous.
Meet the words
Common mistake
gen appears in words so different you may miss it: genesis, ingenious, ingenuous, engender and genial (friendly and cheerful) all trace back to it. And do not confuse ingenious (clever) with ingenuous (innocent).