genesis

1 of 2

noun (1)

gen·​e·​sis ˈje-nə-səs How to pronounce genesis (audio)
plural geneses ˈje-nə-ˌsēz How to pronounce genesis (audio)
: the origin or coming into being of something
the genesis of a new political movement

Genesis

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the mainly narrative first book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scriptures see Bible Table

Did you know?

The traditional Greek name for the first and best-known book of the Bible is Genesis, meaning "origin". Genesis tells the stories of the creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's ark, the Tower of Babel, Abraham and his sons, and more—the stories that explain how the world and humanity were created, as well as much about how humanity, and especially the descendants of Abraham, relate to the rest of the world. Today we use genesis to refer to the creative beginnings of much smaller things, but never unimportant ones.

Examples of genesis in a Sentence

Noun (1) a book about the genesis of the civil rights movement was present at the meeting which was later considered the genesis of the new political movement
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
So how does the IRS determine the genesis of a payment? Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 One of the main reasons nuclear power has a bad reputation is its unfortunate genesis; before splitting atoms for public energy, scientists split them for warfare. Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2024 Each salsa and guacamole has a point of regional origin or a personal genesis tale. Scott Hocker, theweek, 3 Sep. 2024 All of these details can help the provider more quickly suss out the genesis of your puffy node. Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for genesis 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin, from Greek, from gignesthai to be born — more at kin

Noun (2)

Greek

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1604, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of genesis was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near genesis

Cite this Entry

“Genesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genesis. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

genesis

1 of 2 noun
gen·​e·​sis ˈjen-ə-səs How to pronounce genesis (audio)
plural geneses -ə-ˌsēz How to pronounce genesis (audio)
: the origin or coming into being of something

Genesis

2 of 2
: the mainly narrative first book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scriptures see bible

Medical Definition

genesis

noun
gen·​e·​sis ˈjen-ə-səs How to pronounce genesis (audio)
plural geneses -ˌsēz How to pronounce genesis (audio)
: the origin or coming into being of something : the process or mode of origin

More from Merriam-Webster on genesis

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!