généralise

Généralise is the present tense form of the French verb généraliser, used for the third person singular (il/elle généralise) or as the imperative form in the familiar command (généralise). The verb means to make something more general or to apply a result, rule, or principle to a broader set of cases rather than to a single instance. It also denotes the act of deriving a general principle from particular facts or observations, as in generalizing a finding from a study.

Etymology and related forms: généraliser comes from the adjective général, itself from Latin generalis, meaning of a general nature. Related terms include généralisation (the noun for the act or process of generalizing), généralisable or généralisable (adjective meaning capable of being generalized), and generalisation in English loan uses. The term is common across disciplines, including science, mathematics, linguistics, and philosophy.

Usage and nuances: In scientific and mathematical writing, généraliser is used to describe extending conclusions from specific cases to wider populations or categories, for example, généraliser un théorème or généraliser une règle. In everyday speech, it can denote broadening a concept or applying a practice more broadly. In machine learning and statistics, généralisation (la généralisation) refers to a model’s ability to perform well on unseen data. Cautions include avoiding généralisation hâtive, a fallacy that draws broad conclusions from too little evidence or too small samples.

See also: généralisation, généralisable, général, généralité, and the related concept of généralisation in philosophy or logic.