GENIUS

noun (plural ~es or genii) Etymology: Latin, tutelary spirit, natural inclinations, from gignere to beget Date: 1513 1. an attendant spirit of a person or place, a person who influences another for good or bad, a strong leaning or inclination ; penchant , 3. a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character or spirit, the associations and traditions of a place, a personification or embodiment especially of a quality or condition, spirit , jinni , 5. plural usually ~es a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude , extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity, a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority, see: gift