The gens have it
Peter Childs, University of Limerick, investigates words in chemistry.
The suffix -gen is common in chemistry, biochemistry and biology. The ending means 'former' or 'maker' and comes from the Greek word genes. When we see this ending we know that the substance described helps something to form or makes something.
Generating terms in chemistry...
Hydrogen is the water former. Oxygen is the acid former (from Greek oxys, meaning acid or sour) and nitrogen is the nitre former. Get the idea? The halogens (Group 17) are salt formers and the chalcogens (Group 16) are ore formers, from the Greek chalcos meaning ore, because many metal ores are either oxides or sulfides (also known as chalogenides).
... and in biochemistry
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