generation

(jen″ĕ-rā′shŏn)

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[L. generatio, a begetting, generating]

1. The act of reproducing offspring.
2. A group of animals or plants the same distance removed from an ancestor, as the first filial (F1) generation.
SEE: filial generation
3. The average period of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their children. This time could be 16 to 20 years in some cultures and 20 to 25 years in others. The time would also be different if only mothers were considered in computing this average, unless all marriages occurred between persons of the same age.
4. The production of an electric current.
5. In biomechanics, informatics, and pharmacology, a newly developed version of a previously used agent, e.g., a “second-generation antibiotic,” or a “third-generation valve.”

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