According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'engender' is related to the Latin 'generare' (from which we have 'generate') and 'genus' (kind, type or breed). cf French gendrer, engendrer It means to produce, and specifically to produce more of your kind.
The word 'gender' also comes from the Latin 'genus', so they are related; in this case 'genus' as in 'sort or variety of'. The English grammatical usage is taken straight from Latin grammar terminology, which took the term from the Greek γένος, which literally 'means race, stock or kin' (according to Liddell & Scott) but was also used figuratively for grouping things in grammatical terms. According to the OED Aristotle dated this usage back to Protagoras, i.e. the 5th century BC - so linguists have been using it for a very long time.
(And yes, it is basically "an old word for 'type'", although the Ancient Greeks thought in terms of family networks rather than quarks!)
no subject
cf French gendrer, engendrer
It means to produce, and specifically to produce more of your kind.
The word 'gender' also comes from the Latin 'genus', so they are related; in this case 'genus' as in 'sort or variety of'. The English grammatical usage is taken straight from Latin grammar terminology, which took the term from the Greek γένος, which literally 'means race, stock or kin' (according to Liddell & Scott) but was also used figuratively for grouping things in grammatical terms. According to the OED Aristotle dated this usage back to Protagoras, i.e. the 5th century BC - so linguists have been using it for a very long time.
(And yes, it is basically "an old word for 'type'", although the Ancient Greeks thought in terms of family networks rather than quarks!)