/ ˈdʒiːni; NAmE / noun
( pl. gen·ies or genii / ˈdʒiːniaɪ; NAmE /) (in Arabian stories) a spirit with magic powers, especially one that lives in a bottle or a lamp
SYN djinn
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (denoting a guardian or protective spirit): from French génie , from Latin genius attendant spirit present from one's birth, innate ability or inclination , from the root of gignere beget. Génie was adopted in the current sense by the 18th-cent. French translators of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments , because of its resemblance in form and sense to Arabic jinnī jinnee.