Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “genial” come from?

Genial comes from Middle French génial, from Latin genialis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning to beget or produce.

genial (English): Friendly and cheerful; Pleasantly mild and warm;...

Definitions

  1. Friendly and cheerful; Pleasantly mild and warm;...

Ancestry of “genial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchgénial—
2LatingenialisOf or pertaining to marriage; nuptial, genial; Of...
3Latin-alisUsed to form adjectives of relationship from...
4Proto-Indo-European-li-—

Words derived from “genial”

  • congenial
  • uncongenial
  • genially
  • geniality
  • congeniality
  • ungenial
  • congenially
  • uncongeniality
  • incongenial
  • ungeniality
  • genialness
  • ungenially
  • uncongenially
  • genialize
  • congenialize
  • congenialness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -li- →