Word
genesis
Phoneticsgen·e·sis
US/ˈdʒɛnəsəs/
UK/dʒˈɛnɪsˌɪs/
Definitions
01origin or beginning
n. the start or origin of something, especially a new idea or project.
n. the origin, start, or point at which something comes into being. Often used in academic or formal contexts to discuss the development of a theory or movement.
“The genesis of the project was a simple conversation between two friends.”
“Scholars still debate the exact genesis of the movement, though most agree it began as a reaction against the prevailing social norms of the decade.”
Formal · Academic
Usage
Usually takes the preposition 'of' to indicate what is beginning.
Antonyms
02the first book of the Bible
n. the first book of the Bible, which tells the story of how the world was created.
n. the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Capitalised when referring to the specific religious text.
“In the book of Genesis, the story of the creation of the world is told.”
“The professor compared the creation myths found in Genesis with those of other ancient Near Eastern cultures.”
Usage
Always capitalised as 'Genesis' in this sense.
Real-World Examples
“It’d be nice to hear more of my stuff when I’m outside.”
The genesis of this album was different to her previous records.” “But the genesis of each new day, longitude 0º, belongs to none of these.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin genesis (“generation, nativity”), from Ancient Greek γένεσις (génesis, “origin, source, beginning”). Related to Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be produced, become, be”). Doublet of kind, gens, and jati.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/genesis