Genie
/ˈdʒiːni/noun
A supernatural being or spirit, especially one that grants wishes; also a person or thing of remarkable talent.
Did you know?The English word genie comes through French from Arabic jinn, a class of unseen beings in Islamic tradition, and it was often blended in European imagination with magic, spirits, and the occult.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“to beget, give birth, produce”
Latin
Latin
genius
“a tutelary spirit; also a person's innate guiding spirit or talent”
Arabic
Arabic
jinn
“an invisible spirit or supernatural being”
17th–18th Century
French
génie
“a spirit or supernatural being, influenced by Arabic tales”
Modern English
English
genie
“a magical spirit that grants wishes; later, a brilliant or highly gifted person”