Dictionary / genius
genius
- noun
- adjective
- from Latin
Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “genius” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableSomeone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
She's a genius; she won a Nobel Prize at fifteen!
- uncountableExtraordinary mental capacity.
In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- uncountableInspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
a work of genius
- RomanalsocountablefigurativelyThe tutelary deity or spirit of a place or person.
and the genius of the place: the growing enthusiasm for codified standards in the Army and Navy
adjective
- informalIngenious, brilliant, very clever, or original.
What a genius idea!
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
- nounsomeone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality — also: mastermind, brain, brainiac, Einstein
- noununusual mental ability — also: brilliance
- nounsomeone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field — also: ace, adept, champion, sensation, maven
- nounexceptional creative ability — also: wizardry
- nouna natural talent — also: flair
Synonyms: brain, brain surgeon, brainbox, brainiac, deep thinker, Einstein, egghead, genius, intellectual, mind, rocket scientist, superbrain
Antonyms: idiot
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)genius
- Latingenius “inborn nature; a tutelary deity of a person or place; wit, brilliance”
- Latingignō “to beget, produce”
- Latinthe
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.
Derivatives — words built from “genius”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “genius” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “genius” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
genius n. [L. genius, prop., the superior or divine nature which is innate in everything, the spirit, the tutelar deity or genius of a person or place, taste, talent, genius, from genere, gignere, to beget, bring forth. See Gender, and cf. Engine.]
- A good or evil spirit, or demon, supposed by the ancients to preside over a man's destiny in life; a tutelary deity; a supernatural being; a spirit, good or bad. Cf. Jinnee.
- The peculiar structure of mind with which each individual is endowed by nature; that disposition or aptitude of mind which is peculiar to each man, and which qualifies him for certain kinds of action or special success in any pursuit; special taste, inclination, or disposition; as, a genius for history, for poetry, or painting.
- Peculiar character; animating spirit, as of a nation, a religion, a language.
- Distinguished mental superiority; uncommon intellectual power; especially, superior power of invention or origination of any kind, or of forming new combinations; as, a man of genius.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
She's a genius; she won a Nobel Prize at fifteen!
Marx stand höher, sah weiter, überblickte mehr und rascher als wir andern alle. Marx war ein Genie, wir andern höchstens Talente.1962 [1888, 1886], Friedrich Engels, chapter IV, in Ludwig Feuerbach und der Ausgang der klassischen deutschen Philosophie (Marx-Engels-Werke; 21), page 292; English translation from Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Class
nounMeaning: Extraordinary mental capacity.
In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
nounMeaning: Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
a work of genius
to add a dash of cinnamon amid such umami was pure genius
nounMeaning: The tutelary deity or spirit of a place or person.
and the genius of the place: the growing enthusiasm for codified standards in the Army and Navy
We talk of genius still, but with thought how changed! The genius of Augustus was a tutelary demon, to be sworn by and to receive offerings on an altar as a deity.1715, Edward Burnett Tylor, Primitive Culture:
adjectiveMeaning: Ingenious, brilliant, very clever, or original.
What a genius idea!
Bjarte Birkeland asserts that the reason why Nynorsk writers of fiction have succeeded in coming so close to naked life is not that they are more genius than authors writing in Bokmal, but that they are using their mother tongue2002, Oskar Bandle, Lennart Elmevik, Gun Widmark, The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the North Germanic Languages, volume 1, page 466:
nounMeaning: someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
Mozart was a child genius
nounMeaning: a natural talent
he has a genius for interior decorating
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
genius
/ˈd͡ʒiː.ni.əs/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
genius
/ˈd͡ʒiː.ni.əs/ · noun, adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “genius” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“She's a genius; she won a Nobel Prize at fifteen!”
Circle the meaning used.
“a work of genius”
Circle the meaning used.
“and the genius of the place: the growing enthusiasm for codified standards in the Army and Navy”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “genius” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin gignō. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — genius
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
Which meaning, sentence 3: B. The tutelary deity or spirit of a place or person.
Origin: D. Latin (Latin genius)
Journey: English genius ← Latin genius ← Latin gignō ← Latin the
Some derivatives: geniocracy, Geniocracy, geniolatry, geniosity, geniuslike, geniusness, nongenius, scenius
Original meaning: Latin gignō — “to beget, produce”
Etymology: 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.
Sources: Wiktionary “genius” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genius#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/genius