genius English · revision 5901

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1393|origins=la genius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈdʒiː.ni.əs/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|genius|t=guardian spirit watching over each person from birth; inclination; wit, talent]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) originally “generative power” or “inborn nature”,^(Etymonline) from the root of [[m|la|gignere|t=to beget]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) from PIE *gen(e)-yo-, from the root [[ine-pro|*ǵenh₁-|alt=*gene-|t=to give birth, beget]].^(Etymonline) It is related to [[kin]], [[gender]] and [[gene]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The guardian or guiding spirit given to each person at birth: before 1393, in Gower's ''Confessio Amantis'', in Barnhart; 1390 in the OED.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A demon or spirit in general is from about 1590, now mainly in the plural genii.^(OED 1989) A person's characteristic disposition or bent is from 1581, in Sidney,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) and the prevailing spirit of a nation, age or language from 1639 and 1647.^(OED 1989) Natural ability, and a person so endowed, are by the 1640s, in Milton's ''Iconoclastes'' in 1649;^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Hoad dates extraordinary native intellectual power to the 18th century,^(Hoad 1986) and Word Origins says genius came to mean a person of exceptional talent only in the early 18th century.^(Cresswell 2021) In the 17th and 18th centuries forms after French génie and Italian genio were used in several of these senses.^(Hoad 1986) A person with an intelligence quotient above about 140 is a 20th-century use.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1393 – a guardian spirit, in Gower.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1581 – a person's disposition, in Sidney.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1590 – a spirit, demon.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1639 – the spirit of a nation or age.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1640s – natural ability; a talented person.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 18th century – extraordinary intellectual power.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Extraordinary intellectual and creative power.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A person of exceptional [[intellect]] and talent.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A strong natural talent for something: ''a genius for making friends''.^(AHD)

+ # The distinctive spirit of a nation, age or place: ''the genius of the language''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(plural genii)'' In Roman belief, a guardian [[spirit]] of a person or place.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[genius loci]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[genial]]

+ * [[genie]]

+ * [[ingenious]]

+ * [[engine]]

+ * [[gender]]

+ * [[gene]]

+ * [[kin]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}