gen
/ˈxen/ · B2 · noun · m
gene
🧬 gen = gene with the final e dropped; the g sounds like the ch in loch
Both words come from Greek genos, meaning birth or origin, the same root as genetics and genesis. In Spanish the g before e is a throaty /x/, so gen rhymes with hen but starts with a scrape. The plural is genes, and it is masculine: el gen.