génial

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʒe.njal/^[1]

Forms

génial (feminine géniale, masculine plural géniaux, feminine plural géniales)^[1]

Etymology

It was first borrowed from Latin geniālis (“of birth; nuptial; festive; fruitful”), from genius (“tutelary spirit”), in the sense “pleasant, voluptuous” (1509).^[2][3][4][5] Its modern sense is a new derivation from French génie + -al, from “génie” “exceptional ability” (1837).^{[2][3][4][6][7]} Littré only knew the Latin sense, which English genial kept.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean Lemaire de Belges's Illustrations de Gaule (1509) uses it for “pleasant, voluptuous”, Palsgrave (1530) has it for “in keeping with a person's nature”.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Barbey d'Aurevilly (1837) gave it its modern sense, “bearing the mark of genius”: c'est surtout la pose qui est géniale, Maupassant (1888) applies it to a person who has genius.^[2][3] In the 20th century it weakened to “ingenious”, and, from about 1980 schoolchildren used it as a vague term of praise, like super.^[3][9] The adverb génialement is found in 1613 but was rare before 1869.^[3]

Timeline

• 1509 – “Pleasant, voluptuous”, Jean Lemaire de Belges.^[2]
• 1837 – “Bearing the mark of genius”, Barbey d'Aurevilly.^[2]
• 1888 – Of a person of genius, Maupassant.^[2]
• c. 1980 – A general term of praise.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of genius, inspired: une invention géniale; brilliant, ingenious: une idée géniale.^[9][1]
2. Having genius (of a person): un mathématicien génial.^[9][2]
3. (familiar) Great, fantastic: c'est génial !, un film génial.^[9][1]

Word family

• génialement
• génialité

Related words

• génie
• English genial

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 100a
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert