The word general, annexed to a name of office, usually denotes chief or
superior; as, attorney- general; adjutant general; commissary general;
quartermaster general; vicar-general, etc.
General agent (Law), an agent whom a principal employs to transact all
his business of a particular kind, or to act in his affairs generally.
-- General assembly. See the Note under Assembly. -- General average,
General Court. See under Average, Court. -- General court-martial
(Mil.), the highest military and naval judicial tribunal. -- General
dealer (Com.), a shopkeeper who deals in all articles in common use. --
General demurrer (Law), a demurrer which objects to a pleading in
general terms, as insufficient, without specifying the defects. Abbott.
-- General epistle, a canonical epistle. -- General guides (Mil.), two
sergeants (called the right, and the left, general guide) posted
opposite the right and left flanks of an infantry battalion, to
preserve accuracy in marching. Farrow. -- General hospitals (Mil.),
hospitals established to receive sick and wounded sent from the field
hospitals. Farrow. General issue (Law), an issue made by a general
plea, which traverses the whole declaration or indictment at once,
without offering any special matter to evade it. Bouvier. Burrill. --
General lien (Law), a right to detain a chattel, etc., until payment is
made of any balance due on a general account. -- General officer
(Mil.), any officer having a rank above that of colonel. -- General
orders (Mil.), orders from headquarters published to the whole command.
-- General practitioner, in the United States, one who practices
medicine in all its branches without confining himself to any
specialty; in England, one who practices both as physician and as
surgeon. -- General ship, a ship not chartered or let to particular
parties. -- General term (Logic), a term which is the sign of a general
conception or notion. -- General verdict (Law), the ordinary
comprehensive verdict in civil actions, "for the plaintiff" or "for the
defendant". Burrill. -- General warrant (Law), a warrant, now illegal,
to apprehend suspected persons, without naming individuals.
Syn. General, Common, Universal. Common denotes primarily that in which
many share; and hence, that which is often met with. General is
stronger, denoting that which pertains to a majority of the individuals
which compose a genus, or whole. Universal, that which pertains to all
without exception. To be able to read and write is so common an
attainment in the United States, that we may pronounce it general,
though by no means universal.