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gen·et 1 (jĕnĭt, jə-nĕt)
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n.
Any of several carnivorous mammals of the genus Genetta of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, having grayish or yellowish fur with dark spots and a long ringed tail.

[Middle English, from Old French genete, of Iberian Romance origin; akin to Spanish jineta, perhaps originally a feminine form (used in the sense “bandit” to refer to the genet euphemistically because it preys on poultry) of Spanish jinete, horseman, from Old Spanish ginete; see JENNET.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
gen·et 2 (jĕnĭt)
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n.
A group of genetically identical individuals descended from one progenitor, as a group of trees that have all sprouted from the roots of a single parent; a clone.

[From GENETIC (on the model of RAMET).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
gen·et 3 (jĕnĭt)
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n.
See jennet.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Ge·nêt (zhə-nā)
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See Janet Flanner.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Ge·net (zhə-nā), Jean 1910-1986.
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French writer who is best known for his absurdist plays, including The Balcony (1956).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.