different between genial vs caustic

English

Etymology 1

From Middle French génial, from Latin geni?lis (“of or pertaining to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?i?n??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d?inj?l/, /-ni.?l/
• Hyphenation: ge?ni?al

Adjective

genial (comparative more genial, superlative most genial)

1. Friendly and cheerful.
2. (especially of weather) Pleasantly mild and warm.
3. Marked by genius.
   • 1826, Julius Hare, Guesses at Truth by Two Brothers

     Men of genius have so often attacht the highest value to their less genial works.

   • 2003, Laura Fermi, Gilberto Bernardini, Galileo and the Scientific Revolution, Courier Dover Publications, page 111 [1]:

     About fifty years later, in 1675, the Danish astronomer Ole Roemer (1644-1710) had the genial idea of using astronomical rather than terrestrial distances.

4. (archaic) Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive.
   • Creator Venus, genial power of love.

5. (obsolete) Belonging to one's genius or natural character; native; natural; inborn.

Derived terms

• congenial

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek ??????? (géneion, “chin”) + -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???n???l/, /-?ni??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d???na??l/, /-?ni.?l/
• Hyphenation: ge?ni?al

Adjective

genial (not comparable)

1. (anatomy) Relating to the chin; genian.

Anagrams

• Eaglin, Ealing, igneal, linage

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin geni?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /??.ni?al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /d??e.ni?al/

Adjective

genial (masculine and feminine plural genials)

1. genius
2. brilliant, great

Derived terms

• genialment

Related terms

• geni
• genialitat

Further reading

• “genial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

German

Etymology

Shortening of earlier genialisch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?ni?a?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

genial (comparative genialer, superlative am genialsten)

1. genius, ingenious, genial (in the sense of genius)
2. (colloquial) excellent

   Synonyms: klasse, hervorragend

Declension

Derived terms

• kongenial

Further reading

• “genial” in Duden online

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin genialis

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin genialis

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Adjective

genial m or f (plural geniais, comparable)

1. genial (marked by genius)
2. genius (very clever)

Romanian

Etymology

From French génial.

Adjective

genial m or n (feminine singular genial?, masculine plural geniali, feminine and neuter plural geniale)

1. (literally) ingenious, characteristic of a genius
2. (informal) great, fantastic, awesome

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin geni?lis (“of or relating to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xe?njal/, [xe?njal]

Adjective

genial (plural geniales)

1. great, cool, neat

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:guay

2. splendid, gorgeous

   Synonym: espléndido

3. ingenious

   Synonym: ingenioso

4. genial, pleasant

Derived terms

• genialmente

Related terms

• genialidad
• genio

Further reading

• “genial” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From the Latin causticus (“burning”), from the Ancient Greek ????????? (kaustikós, “burning”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: kôs't?k, k?s't?k, IPA^(key): /?k??st?k/, /?k?st?k/
• Rhymes: -??st?k

Adjective

caustic (comparative more caustic, superlative most caustic)

1. Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.
2. (of language, etc.) Sharp, bitter, cutting, biting, and sarcastic in a scathing way.
   • 1853, Charlotte Brontë, Villette

     Madame Beck esteemed me learned and blue; Miss Fanshawe, caustic, ironic, and cynical

   • c. 1930, W.H.Auden, "The Quest"

     though he came too late / To join the martyrs, there was still a place / Among the tempters for a caustic tongue / / To test the resolution of the young / With tales of the small failings of the great

Synonyms

• (capable of destroying tissue): acidic, biting, burning, corrosive, searing
• (severe, sharp): bitchy, biting, catty, mordacious, nasty, sarcastic, scathing, sharp, spiteful, vitriolic

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

caustic (plural caustics)

1. Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
2. (optics, computer graphics) The envelope of reflected or refracted rays of light for a given surface or object.
3. (mathematics) The envelope of reflected or refracted rays for a given curve.
4. (informal, chemistry) Caustic soda.

Derived terms

• lunar caustic

Translations