Suffix · forms nouns
From Greek "genein" (to produce, to originate): names what produces something or the origin of a process. Oxygen, pathogen.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -gen comes from Greek "genein" (to beget, to produce) and names substances or agents that produce something, or indicates the origin of a process. From "oxy-" (acid/sharp) comes "oxygen"; from "hydro-" (water) comes "hydrogen". The extended form -genesis names the process of origin or creation: genesis, pathogenesis (origin of a disease). Spanish: oxygen → oxígeno, hydrogen → hidrógeno, pathogen → patógeno.
oxygen = what produces acids (original Greek theory) hydrogen = what produces water nitrogen = nitrogen pathogen = disease-producing agent allergen = allergy-producing agent carcinogen = cancer-producing substance mutagen = mutation-inducing agent halogen = salt-forming element (Cl, F, Br, I) androgen = male-producing hormone estrogen = female hormone (estro + gen)
-genesis names the process of formation or creation: genesis = origin, beginning pathogenesis = how a disease originates biogenesis = origin of life from living matter abiogenesis = life from non-living matter embryogenesis = development of an embryo phylogenesis = evolutionary origin of a species Word family: -gen (agent), -genesis (process), -genic (adjective: carcinogenic), -geny (science of origin: phylogeny).
Root (what is produced or where it comes from) + gen (agent) or genesis (process).
Family: -gen (agent), -genesis (process), -genic (adjective: produces or is caused by). carcinogen → carcinogenic. pathogen → pathogenic. Also: -geny (science): phylogeny.
-gen / -genesis/dʒɛn/ or /dʒɛnɪsɪs/ · 'jen' or 'JEN-ih-sis'
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"Gene" = a unit of heredity in DNA. "-gen" as suffix = an agent that produces something (pathogen, allergen). Different words with related origins but different functions.
In English: oxygen (not "oxigen"), hydrogen (not "hidrogen"). The -y- is part of the Greek root.
"Pathogen" = patógeno (bacterium, virus, fungus that causes disease). "Pathology" = the study of disease. Different words.
A trick to remember it
-gen = what produces or causes something. Key examples: oxygen, hydrogen, pathogen (disease-causing), allergen, carcinogen. Adjective: -genic (carcinogenic, pathogenic). Process: -genesis (biogenesis, pathogenesis).
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"Carcinogen" means...
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the adjective form of "carcinogen"?
The suffix -gen / -genesis from Greek "genein" (to produce, to originate): names what produces something or the origin of a process. Oxygen, pathogen. In Spanish it usually maps to -geno / -génesis.
The ending -gen / -genesis is pronounced /dʒɛn/ or /dʒɛnɪsɪs/ · 'jen' or 'JEN-ih-sis'. For example, "oxygen".
"oxy (acid)" becomes "oxygen". It is a typical example of the -gen / -genesis suffix.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.