NOUN
1[mass noun] exceptional intellectual or creative ability, or another outstanding natural aptitude: the project revealed her genius for design | [in singular]: he has a genius for organization.
2an exceptionally intelligent person, or someone possessing outstanding ability in a particular field: a mathematical genius.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from Latin genius, originally meaning a guardian or attendant spirit believed to accompany a person from birth, and later associated with innate character or ability. The word is related to Latin gignere, ‘to beget’. Over time, its meaning shifted from a spirit connected with an individual, to natural disposition or talent, and eventually to exceptional intellectual or creative ability.