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

This watch represents the genesis of what many consider the greatest era of Patek watchmaking. —Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024

Progress to the mid-1800s, and the genesis of paper photography, and images show Notre Dame – then the tallest building in view – towering over the French capital. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024

My concept of our international university family had its genesis in my pre-SCAD years teaching elementary school, with its frequent parent teacher conferences, PTA meetings, and open houses. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024

The genesis of the project traces back to 2019, when Levantine Films optioned Madhuri Shekar’s play of the same name and Eric Randall adapted it as a screenplay. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 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