genie
Pronunciation: /ˈdʒiːni/
Translate genie | into Italian | into Spanish noun
Definition of genie
noun ( plural genies or genii /ˈdʒiːnɪʌɪ/)
- a spirit of Arabian folklore, as depicted traditionally imprisoned within a bottle or oil lamp, and capable of granting wishes when summoned. Compare with jinn.
Origin:
mid 17th century (denoting a guardian or protective spirit): from French génie, from Latin genius (see genius). Génie was adopted in the current sense by the 18th-century French translators of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, because of its resemblance in form and sense to Arabic jinnī 'jinnee'