English
genius
Genius comes from Latin genius ‘inborn nature’, from gignō ‘to beget, produce’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce, beget’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to beget, produce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgenius‘inborn nature’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce, beget’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to beget, produce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgenius‘inborn nature’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715same form
Earliest quotation: 1715, Edward Burnett Tylor: “We talk of genius still, but with thought how…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’
kind, king, general, nature, nation, german, native, pregnant, generation, gender, genuine, ken, generate, oxygen, gene, naive, gentle, kin, indigenous, genre, noel, hydrogen, genocide, innate, natal, nee, nativity, nada, naïve, janata, genus, germ, nascent, puny, cognate, gentile, jaunty, gingerly, glycogen, gens, 108 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵíǵn̥h₁eti ‘to engender’
through Proto-Italic *gignō
through Latin gignō ‘to beget, produce’
engine, genital, ingenious, 5 more
through Latin genius ‘inborn nature’
Today it means
noun Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- / genius