Ingenious
/ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/noun
Having or showing cleverness, inventiveness, or resourcefulness.
Did you know?Ingenious comes from the same Latin root as *genius* and originally meant something like “inborn” or “native,” long before it became a compliment for cleverness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“to beget, give birth to”
Latin
Latin
gignere
“to beget, produce”
Latin
Latin
ingenium
“inborn nature, native talent, character”
Middle French
Old French
ingenieux
“having natural capacity, clever”
Late Middle English
English
ingenious
“naturally gifted, clever”
Modern English
English
ingenious
“marked by originality, resourcefulness, and clever design”