genius

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genius tutelary deity or spirit; demon; characteristic or prevalent disposition or spirit XVI; innate capacity, person as possessing this XVII; extraordinary native intellectual power XVIII. — L. genius attendant spirit, inclination, appetite, (rarely) intellectual capacity, prob. :- *gṇjos, corr. to Gmc. *kunjam KIN. (In XVII–XVIII forms repr. F. génie and It. genio were used in various senses of genius).

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