Generate

Generate is a verb meaning to bring into existence or cause to arise through a process. It is used for producing tangible items, energy, data, or abstract outcomes such as interest, income, or ideas. The term often implies a mechanism or activity that creates something that did not previously exist or that is produced from a given input.

Etymology: Generate derives from Latin generare "to beget, produce," from genus "birth, race." English usage dates to the 14th century, with cognates in other languages sharing the same root.

Applications: In engineering and everyday use, one can say a machine generates electricity, a generator creates power, or a program generates text or images. In computing, generation refers to producing data or artifacts, such as random number generation, code generation, or procedural content generation in games, often via algorithms. In mathematics, a generating function encodes a sequence, and in algebra, generators or generating sets build structures by repeated application of operations.

Other domains: In biology, generation denotes a cohort of organisms or the act of producing offspring; in linguistics and philosophy, generation covers the derivation and formation of structures, meaning, or arguments.

Notes: The term is broader than synonyms such as produce or yield and is often used when a process or mechanism creates something new from inputs or prior states. The word "generator" commonly refers to a device that generates or to a person or thing that serves as an origin.