A Genius Was Originally a Guardian Spirit
A genius is a person of exceptional ability. In Rome it was a spirit attached to a person, not a quality they possessed.
A genius is a person of extraordinary intellect or creative power. In Roman belief a *genius* was a guardian spirit accompanying a person from birth — something you *had*, not something you *were*. The shift from having a genius to being one happened in the eighteenth century, and it placed a considerable burden on individuals that the Romans had spread onto spirits.
- A person of great ability. *A mathematical genius.*
- Exceptional ability. *Sheer genius.*
- A guardian spirit. *The genius of the place.*
- Genius loci — the spirit of a place. *The genius loci of the valley.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | genius | A rare genius. |
| Plural | geniuses | Two geniuses. |
| Plural (spirits) | genii | Guardian genii. |
| Adjective | ingenious | An ingenious plan. |
| Related | genie | A genie in a lamp. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She has a genius for organisation.An exceptional aptitude.
- The genius loci of the site.Its distinctive character.
- Genie came from a different word entirely.Arabic *jinni*, reshaped to look like genius.
Words from *gignere*, to beget
- Genius — a spirit born with a person
- Genus — a kind or birth-group
- Generate — to bring into being
- Genuine — natural, from birth
- Ingenious — clever by nature
From Latin *genius*, a guardian spirit, from *gignere*, to beget. The sense of exceptional ability dates from the eighteenth century.
Is a genie the same word?
No. Genie comes from Arabic *jinni*, but French translators reshaped it to resemble the Latin *genius*, so the two look related.
What is genius loci?
The spirit or distinctive atmosphere of a place, a phrase still used in architecture and landscape design.