Gen"er*ous (?), a. [F. g'en'ereux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
1.
Of honorable birth or origin; highborn.
[Obs.]
The generous and gravest citizens.
Shak.
2.
Exhibiting those qualities which are popularly reregarded as belonging to high birth; noble; honorable; magnanimous; spirited; courageous.
"The
generous critic."
Pope. "His
generous spouse."
Pope. "A
generous pack [of hounds]."
Addison.
3.
Open-handed; free to give; not close or niggardly; munificent; as, a generous friend or father.
4.
Characterized by generosity; abundant; overflowing; as, a generous table.
Swift.
5.
Full of spirit or strength; stimulating; exalting; as, generous wine.
Syn. -- Magnanimous; bountiful. See Liberal.
-- Gen"er*ous*ly, adv. -- Gen"er*ous*ness, n.
© Webster 1913.