begotten

/biˈɡɔtɪn/
IPA guide

Something is begotten when it's been generated by procreation — in other words, it's been fathered.

A somewhat old fashioned adjective, begotten is the past participle of the verb beget, which means to father or produce as offspring. You might recognize this word from John 3:16, one of the most popular and most often quoted bible verses: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Definitions of begotten
  1. adjective
    (of offspring) generated by procreation
    “naturally begotten child”
    synonyms:
    biological
    of parents and children; related by blood
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Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles

Though written last, this play in Sophocles' Theban Cycle takes place between the events of Oedipus the King and Antigone and focuses on the blind king's philosophical understanding of his fate. Learn these words from the translation by Francis Storr.

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