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Today it means

ingenious

clever and inventive

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Where does the word "ingenious" come from? It comes from Latin ingeniosus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

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Where does the word "ingenious" come from? It comes from Latin ingeniosus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Ingenious’s story begins in Latin: ingeniosus meant “talented.” From 'ingenium', natural talent, the root of 'engine'. It reached English by 1400s as ingenious. Long confused with 'ingenuous', frank. Today, ingenious means clever and inventive.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient ingeniosus "talented", from 'ingenium', natural talent, the root of 'engine'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s ingenious "talented", long confused with 'ingenuous', frank.

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