genesis

1 of 2

noun (1)

gen·​e·​sis ˈje-nə-səs 

plural geneses ˈje-nə-ˌsēz 

: 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.

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• alpha
• baseline
• beginning
• birth
• commencement
• dawn
• day one
• get-go
• git-go
• inception
• incipience
• incipiency
• kickoff
• launch
• morning
• nascence
• nascency
• onset
• outset
• start
• threshold

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

Noun

All of these details can help the provider more quickly suss out the genesis of your puffy node. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024

In the midst of paying tribute to the late singer on social media, fans have also been taking a look at throwback videos of Payne’s journey to musical stardom, including his auditions for The X Factor, which saw the genesis of One Direction as a band. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024

To be sure, the worst years of the pandemic, which provide the genesis for many of the business closings, predate Thao’s mayoral term. —East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2024

While the subculture coalesced within a music scene transitioning from ’70s punk to ’80s new wave, the sensibility has no discrete genesis. —Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

genesis

1 of 2 noun

gen·​e·​sis ˈjen-ə-səs 

plural geneses -ə-ˌsēz 

: 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 

plural geneses -ˌsēz 

: the origin or coming into being of something : the process or mode of origin