In mathematics, properties that hold for typical examples are called generic properties. For instance, a generic property of a class of functions is one that is true of most of those functions, as in the statements, " A generic polynomial does not have a root at zero," or "A generic matrix is invertible." As another example, a generic property of a space is a property that holds at most points of the space, as in the statementm, "if f: M->N is a smooth function between smooth manifolds, then a generic point of N is not a critical value of f" (This is by Sard's theorem.)
