generic (juh-NEHR-ik) adjective

   1. Of or pertaining to a genus.

   2. Sold without a brand name.

   3. Relating to a whole group or class.

[From French generique, from Latin gener-, genus kind, class.]

   "The Brennans made a commitment to drastically reduce spending and to
   begin investing more of their six-figure income for the future. `I even
   started buying generic toilet paper that felt like sandpaper to save
   money,' admits Kathleen."
   Mari McQueen, Making Money Against the Odds, Money (New York) Nov 1998.

Erics may take over the world. We're everywhere... World-famous musician
Eric Clapton, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki (he's a living
Gen eric!), South Park's Eric Catman (who has more lives than any cat)...
the list goes on and on.

"There is an Eric Conspiracy," declares Eric S. Raymond, an Internet
developer and writer, who describes himself as an observer-participant
anthropologist in the Internet hacker culture. His research has helped
explain the decentralized open-source model of software development. The
latest Eric/Erik to hit the headlines is Erik Weihenmayer, the blind
mountain climber who scaled Mt. Everest a few weeks ago.

As a guest wordsmith this week, I'll feature five words that end with eric.
You can read my free e-book at http://www.bdb.co.za/shackle/ebook.htm .
This month's edition features a story about AWAD's near half-million
wordlovers.                   -Eric Shackle (eshackle@ozemail.com.au)

(This week's Guest Wordsmith, Eric Shackle, is a retired journalist who has
written for the New York Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Straits
Times, among others. He is also the copy editor for AWAD, and lives near
Sydney, Australia.                                                 -Anu)

............................................................................
Shall I tell you the secret of the true scholar? It is this: every man I
meet is my master in some point, and in that I learn of him. -Ralph Waldo
Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/generic.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/generic.ram