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genius

Pronunciation: [ˈɡɛ.ni.ʊs]

“genius” is a Latin word. Its 4 meanings in English:

noun

  1. the deity or guardian spirit of a person, place, etc.; a daemon, a daimon (cf. Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn))
  2. an inborn nature or innate character, especially (though not exclusively) as endowed by a personal (especially tutelar) spirit or deity.
  3. the spirit of social enjoyment, fondness for good living, taste, appetite, inclinations
  4. wit, talents, genius (rare)

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”), perhaps through Old Latin genō (“to beget, give birth; to produce, cause”), + *-yos; compare Proto-Germanic *kunją (“kin”) and Sanskrit जन्य n (jánya, “lineage, tribe, people”), though all probably independent formations. Not related to Arabic جِنِّي (jinnī, “jinn, spirit, demon”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.