/ ˈdʒiːniəl; NAmE / adjective
friendly and cheerful
SYN affable :
a genial person
a genial smile
► geni·al·ity / ˌdʒiːniˈæləti; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
an atmosphere of warmth and geniality
► geni·al·ly / ˈdʒiːniəli; NAmE / adverb :
to smile genially
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin genialis nuptial, productive, from genius attendant spirit present from one's birth, innate ability or inclination , from the root of gignere beget. The Latin sense was adopted into English; hence the senses mild and conducive to growth (mid 17th cent.), later cheerful, kindly (mid 18th cent.).