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.