adj.
- affecting or concerning all or most people or things; not specialized or limited.
▸normal or usual.
- involving only the main features or elements and disregarding exceptions; overall.
- chief or principal:
the general manager.
n.
- a commander of an army, or an army officer ranking above lieutenant general.
▸short for lieutenant general or major general.
▸the head of a religious order organized on quasi-military lines, e.g. the Jesuits or the Salvation Army.
-
(the general)
archaic the general public.
Phrase
- in general
- usually; mainly.
- as a whole.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: via OFr. from L. generalis, from genus, gener- ‘class, race, kind’.