genesis
n. C / Un. the beginning or origin of something. You use it to describe how an idea, a project, or a story first started.
n. the origin or mode of formation of something. Often used in academic or literary contexts to trace the development of a concept or movement.
The genesis of his idea came from a dream.
Historians are still debating the exact genesis of the conflict that eventually led to the revolution.
The genesis of the novel can be traced back to a series of short sketches the author wrote while traveling through rural Italy in his youth.
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.
Usually uncountable when referring to the abstract process of beginning; countable when referring to a specific origin story.