genius

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A person with exceptional intelligence or creative ability.

   Einstein was a genius who changed how we understand the universe.

2. 2
   noun

   Extraordinary mental ability or brilliance.

   The genius of her plan only became clear once it worked.

3. 3
   noun

   A special natural talent for something.

   He has a genius for making people feel welcome.

4. 4
   adj

   Very clever, brilliant, or original.

   Taking the early train was a genius idea.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Genius entered English in the late Middle Ages from Latin genius, “guardian spirit” or “divinity,” and also carried a literary sense relating to talent or wit. The Latin word derives from gignere, “to beget,” linking it historically with words such as gene and gender. It did not come to denote a person of exceptional ability until the early 18th century.

From Latin genius (“inborn nature; a tutelary deity of a person or place; wit, brilliance”), from gignō (“to beget, produce”), Old Latin genō, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁-. Doublet of genio. See also genus and genie.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary