genesis

[ jen-uh-sis ]
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noun,plural gen·e·ses [jen-uh-seez]. /ˈdʒɛn əˌsiz/.
  1. an origin, creation, or beginning.

Origin of genesis

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin: “generation, birth,” from Greek génesis “origin, source”

Other words from genesis

  • hy·per·gen·e·sis, noun

Words Nearby genesis

Other definitions for Genesis (2 of 3)

Genesis
[ jen-uh-sis ]

noun
  1. the first book of the Bible, dealing with the Creation and the Patriarchs. Abbreviation: Gen.

Origin of Genesis

2
First recorded before 1100; from Latin: literally “generation, creation,” from Greek Génesis, the Greek rendering of Hebrew bĕrēʾshith, the first word of the Biblical book, traditionally translated “in the beginning”; see genesis

Other words from Genesis

  • Ge·ne·si·ac [juh-nee-see-ak], /dʒəˈni siˌæk/, Gen·e·si·a·cal [jen-uh-sahy-uh-kuhl], /ˌdʒɛn əˈsaɪ ə kəl/, Gen·e·sit·ic [jen-uh-sit-ik] /dʒɛn ə ˈsɪt ɪk/ adjective

Other definitions for -genesis (3 of 3)

-genesis

  1. a combining form of genesis: parthenogenesis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use genesis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for genesis (1 of 3)

genesis

/ (ˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /


nounplural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
  1. a beginning or origin of anything

Origin of genesis

1
Old English: via Latin from Greek; related to Greek gignesthai to be born

British Dictionary definitions for Genesis (2 of 3)

Genesis

/ (ˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /


noun
  1. the first book of the Old Testament recounting the events from the Creation of the world to the sojourning of the Israelites in Egypt

British Dictionary definitions for -genesis (3 of 3)

-genesis

n combining form
  1. indicating genesis, development, or generation: biogenesis; parthenogenesis

Origin of -genesis

3
New Latin, from Latin: genesis

Derived forms of -genesis

  • -genetic or -genic, adj combining form

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Genesis

Genesis

The first book of the Old Testament; its first words are “In the beginning” (genesis is a Greek word for “beginning”). It covers the time from the beginning of the world through the days of the patriarchs, including the stories of the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, God's covenant with Abraham, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.