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

The genesis of the company came in the late 1990s, when Jeremy Sorzano, one of Bredeman’s soccer teammates at Pennsylvania’s Messiah University, was a pro for the Charlotte Eagles, a team mired in the third level of the USL. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2025

One of the most influential bands in history, the genesis of The Beatles dates back to the late 1950s when McCartney and Lennon first came together in the Quarrymen. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025

Stiller and Eddy Cue, SVP of Apple Services, took the stage at SXSW earlier this month to talk about the the genesis of Severance, the streamer’s top performing show ever. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025

The film debuts at SXSW, which runs March 7-15, but its genesis goes back a while. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for genesis

• venosus
• agenesis
• dysgenesis
• oogenesis
• angiogenesis
• atherogenesis
• carcinogenesis
• embryogenesis
• gametogenesis
• organogenesis
• osteogenesis
• parthenogenesis

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