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generation

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generation


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Generation  \Gen`er*a"tion\,  n.  [OE.  generacioun  F. 
  g['e]n['e]ration,  fr.L.  generatio.] 
  1.  The  act  of  generating  or  begetting;  procreation,  as  of 
  animals. 
 
  2.  Origination  by  some  process,  mathematical,  chemical,  or 
  vital;  production;  formation;  as  the  generation  of 
  sounds,  of  gases,  of  curves,  etc 
 
  3.  That  which  is  generated  or  brought  forth;  progeny; 
  offspiring. 
 
  4.  A  single  step  or  stage  in  the  succession  of  natural 
  descent;  a  rank  or  remove  in  genealogy.  Hence:  The  body  of 
  those  who  are  of  the  same  genealogical  rank  or  remove  from 
  an  ancestor;  the  mass  of  beings  living  at  one  period; 
  also  the  average  lifetime  of  man,  or  the  ordinary  period 
  of  time  at  which  one  rank  follows  another,  or  father  is 
  succeeded  by  child,  usually  assumed  to  be  one  third  of  a 
  century;  an  age. 
 
  This  is  the  book  of  the  generations  of  Adam.  --Gen. 
  v.  1. 
 
  Ye  shall  remain  there  [in  Babylon]  many  years,  and 
  for  a  long  season,  namely,  seven  generations. 
  --Baruch  vi 
  3. 
 
  All  generations  and  ages  of  the  Christian  church. 
  --Hooker. 
 
  5.  Race;  kind  family;  breed;  stock. 
 
  Thy  mother's  of  my  generation;  what's  she  if  I  be  a 
  dog?  --Shak. 
 
  6.  (Geom.)  The  formation  or  production  of  any  geometrical 
  magnitude,  as  a  line  a  surface,  a  solid,  by  the  motion, 
  in  accordance  with  a  mathematical  law,  of  a  point  or  a 
  magnitude;  as  the  generation  of  a  line  or  curve  by  the 
  motion  of  a  point,  of  a  surface  by  a  line  a  sphere  by  a 
  semicircle,  etc 
 
  7.  (Biol.)  The  aggregate  of  the  functions  and  phenomene  which 
  attend  reproduction. 
 
  Note:  There  are  four  modes  of  generation  in  the  animal 
  kingdom:  scissiparity  or  by  fissiparous  generation, 
  gemmiparity  or  by  budding,  germiparity  or  by  germs,  and 
  oviparity  or  by  ova. 
 
  {Alternate  generation}  (Biol.),  alternation  of  sexual  with 
  asexual  generation,  in  which  the  products  of  one  process 
  differ  from  those  of  the  other  --  a  form  of  reproduction 
  common  both  to  animal  and  vegetable  organisms.  In  the 
  simplest  form  the  organism  arising  from  sexual  generation 
  produces  offspiring  unlike  itself  agamogenetically. 
  These  however,  in  time  acquire  reproductive  organs,  and 
  from  their  impregnated  germs  the  original  parent  form  is 
  reproduced.  In  more  complicated  cases,  the  first  series  of 
  organisms  produced  agamogenetically  may  give  rise  to 
  others  by  a  like  process,  and  these  in  turn  to  still  other 
  generations.  Ultimately,  however,  a  generation  is  formed 
  which  develops  sexual  organs,  and  the  original  form  is 
  reproduced. 
 
  {Spontaneous  generation}  (Biol.),  the  fancied  production  of 
  living  organisms  without  previously  existing  parents  from 
  inorganic  matter,  or  from  decomposing  organic  matter,  a 
  notion  which  at  one  time  had  many  supporters;  abiogenesis. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  generation 
  n  1:  all  the  people  living  at  the  same  time  or  of  approximately 
  the  same  age  [syn:  {coevals},  {contemporaries}] 
  2:  group  of  genetically  related  organisms  constituting  a  single 
  step  in  the  line  of  descent 
  3:  the  normal  time  between  successive  generations;  "they  had  to 
  wait  a  generation  for  that  prejudice  to  fade" 
  4:  the  act  of  propagating  [syn:  {multiplication},  {propagation}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  generation 
 
  An  attempt  to  classify  the  degree  of  sophistication  of 
  programming  languages. 
 
  See  {First  generation  language}  --  {Fifth  generation 
  language}. 
 
  (1995-06-15) 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Generation 
  Gen.  2:4,  "These  are  the  generations,"  means  the  "history."  5:1, 
  "The  book  of  the  generations,"  means  a  family  register,  or 
  history  of  Adam.  37:2,  "The  generations  of  Jacob"  =  the  history 
  of  Jacob  and  his  descendants.  7:1,  "In  this  generation"  =  in 
  this  age.  Ps  49:19,  "The  generation  of  his  fathers"  =  the 
  dwelling  of  his  fathers,  i.e.,  the  grave.  Ps  73:15,  "The 
  generation  of  thy  children"  =  the  contemporary  race.  Isa.  53:8, 
  "Who  shall  declare  his  generation?"  =  His  manner  of  life  who 
  shall  declare?  or  rather  =  His  race,  posterity,  shall  be  so 
  numerous  that  no  one  shall  be  able  to  declare  it 
 
  In  Matt.  1:17,  the  word  means  a  succession  or  series  of 
  persons  from  the  same  stock.  Matt.  3:7,  "Generation  of  vipers"  = 
  brood  of  vipers.  24:34,  "This  generation"  =  the  persons  then 
  living  contemporary  with  Christ.  1  Pet.  2:9,  "A  chosen 
  generation"  =  a  chosen  people. 
 
  The  Hebrews  seem  to  have  reckoned  time  by  the  generation.  In 
  the  time  of  Abraham  a  generation  was  an  hundred  years,  thus: 
  Gen.  15:16,  "In  the  fourth  generation"  =  in  four  hundred  years 
  (comp.  verse  13  and  Ex  12:40).  In  Deut.  1:35  and  2:14  a 
  generation  is  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years. 
 




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