Generales

Generales is a Spanish word with several common uses, depending on context. As a noun, it is the plural of general and refers to high-ranking military officers in Spanish-speaking armed forces. The exact rank structure and titles vary by country, but generally generals are officers who hold senior commands or staff positions and stand above lower general officer ranks such as colonel or brigadier general. The distinctions and insignia differ from one nation to another, reflecting national military hierarchies.

As an adjective, generales means broad or overall. It is used to describe general or general-purpose concepts, such as in phrases like características generales (general characteristics) or resumen general (general summary). In this usage, it functions similarly to the English word general when describing overarching aspects rather than specifics.

Generales also appears in the political lexicon as part of the term elecciones generales, meaning national or general elections. In Spanish-speaking countries, elecciones generales usually refer to elections held to determine the composition of the national legislature, and in some systems to elect the head of state or the executive. The exact scope—whether it covers only the legislature, or also the president or prime minister—depends on the country’s constitutional framework. Spanish-speaking democracies use the term consistently to indicate nationwide electoral processes.

Etymology traces generales to the Latin generalis, meaning pertaining to a whole or broad, reflecting its broad or senior connotations in both military and civic contexts. See also general (rank) for more on the military term in other languages.