gĕnĕrālis, e, adj. [genus].
I Of or belonging to a kind or species , generic (very rare): variae volucres ut in ordine cunctae Ostendant maculas generales corpore inesse, etc., of their species , Lucr. 1, 590: cum qualis sit res, quaeritur, quia et de vi et de genere negotii controversia est, constitutio generalis vocatur, Cic. Inv. 1, 8, 10. —
II Of or relating to all , general (opp. singuli and specialis; cf. universalis; freq. only since the Aug. per.): et generale quoddam decorum intelligimus, quod in omni honestate versatur, et aliud huic subjectum, quod pertinet ad singulas partes honestatis, Cic. Off. 1, 27, 96: causae, opp. singulae lites, Quint. 7, 1, 64; Sen. Ep. 58 med. : cum sit omnis generalis quaestio speciali potentior, Quint. 12, 2, 18; cf.: illud generale, hoc speciale, id. 5, 10, 44: tractatus, opp. specialis, id. 5, 7, 35; cf.: ab generali tractatu ad quasdam deduci species, id. 2, 4, 22: de re et generales quaestiones sunt et definitae, id. 7, 2, 1: definitio, Dig. 28, 5, 4: pactum, ib. 2, 14, 40: lex est generale jussum populi aut plebis, rogante magistratu, At. Cap. ap. Gell. 10, 20, 2.—Hence, adv.: gĕnĕrālĭter (acc. to II.), in general , generally (mostly post-Aug.; cf.: generatim, communiter): tempus est, id quo nunc utimur (nam ipsum quidem generaliter definire difficile est), pars quaedam aeternitatis, Cic. Inv. 1, 26, 39: quaedam adnotasse, sed generaliter (opp. particulas etiam persequi), Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 3: tempus generaliter et specialiter accipitur, etc., Quint. 5, 10, 42 sq.; so opp. specialiter, id. 5, 7, 4; 5, 11, 1; opp. proprie, id. 3, 7, 7: legare, Gai. Inst. 2, 238: stipulari, id. ib. 4, 53: universi, Vulg. Jer. 25, 20.