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Today it means

genial

friendly and cheerful

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Where does the word "genial" come from? It comes from Latin genialis, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

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Where does the word "genial" come from? It comes from Latin genialis, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

Genial’s story begins in Latin: genialis meant “festive, of the genius.” From 'genius', guardian spirit. It reached English by 1560s as genial. The sense 'friendly' dates from the 1700s. Today, genial means friendly and cheerful.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient genialis "festive, of the genius", from 'genius', guardian spirit.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1560s genial "nuptial; cheerful", the sense 'friendly' dates from the 1700s.

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