Library›Where Words Come From›One card

A LITTLE SOMETHING WORTH KNOWING

A small discovery. Yours to pass on.

Language & WordsOne small ahaWord

The word “Genuine” comes from, or was formed in, this language.

Think it. Then flip it. ahamoraTap to reveal Back to the cue
Language & WordsOne small aha
Your new ahaLatin

Genuine comes from Latin genuinus, meaning native or natural. The often-repeated story about a father placing a child on his knee is an uncertain alternative explanation. Source: Wiktionary: genuine ↗

ahamoraReference ↗

Keep the thread going

One answer is a beginning.

Share a little curiosity, or follow it into the full collection.

Flip the full deck →

More from Where Words Come From

A few more worth knowing.

  1. 39This word for a dark outline was named after an eighteenth-century French finance minister associated with austerity.RECALL
    Silhouette

    Silhouette is named after Étienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister known for austerity.

    Open this card ↗
  2. 40The word “Silhouette” comes from, or was formed in, this language.RECALL
    French

    Silhouette is named after Étienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister known for austerity.

    Open this card ↗
  3. 41This word for an organized refusal to deal with someone takes its name from an English land agent targeted in Ireland.RECALL
    Boycott

    Boycott takes its name from Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent targeted by organized protest.

    Open this card ↗