genius locin.
/ˌdʒiːnɪəs ˈləʊkʌɪ/, /ˌdʒiːnɪəs ˈləʊsʌɪ/, /ˌdʒiːnɪəs ˈləʊki/, U.S. /ˌdʒinjəs ˈloʊki/, /ˌdʒinjəs ˈloʊsaɪ/, /ˌdʒinjəs ˈloʊkaɪ/ 1. A guardian spirit or god associated with a place. Cf. genius n. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > genius
geniusa1387
genius loci?1578
genie1611
local ghost1619
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 62 Genius loci. Hiz tempring of all things within & withoout, with apt tyme & place too pleazure & delight.
1614 T. Godwin Romanæ Historiæ Anthologia 34 The other Genius, which is supposed to haue chiefe power over high waies, and places, being therefore called Genius loci, was pictured in the forme of a snake.
1750 W. Warburton Let. 5 Apr. (1809) xxi. 47 Where was the Genius loci of the school when this disaster happened!
a1791 J. Wilcocks Rom. Conversat. (1792) II. iii. ii. 31 Wishing..that the genius loci may conduct us through the long rows of ruined monuments.
1832 E. C. Wines Two Years & Half in Navy I. xi. 236 An occasional form passes by..which you might mistake for a genius loci.
1886 W. T. Watkin Rom. Cheshire 172 It was not for a moment claimed by the ancients, that a Genius Loci could have any influence beyond the sphere of which he was the guardian.
1907 New Internat. Encycl. VIII. 532/1 The genius loci or guardian spirit of a place is often pictured as a serpent partaking of some offering on an alter.
1989 Mod. Painters Autumn 92/1 Vision at Evening, 1911, is a precursor of the genius loci theme, with the face of a Pre-Raphaelite maiden hovering in the sky, her hair extending over the horizontal landscape.
2004 K. Rigby Topographies of Sacred ii. 56 Pre-Christian Romans..recognized the genii loci of wild places, such as the forest god, Silvanus.
2. The essential character or atmosphere of a place. Cf. genius n. 6e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > [noun] > of a locality, institution, or ethos
meridian1590
genius loci1605
genius1741
ethos1842
culture1940
corporate culture1961
1605 W. Camden Remaines ii. 11 The very Genius loci doth seeme Poeticall.
1735 R. Newton Grounds of Complaint Principal Hart-Hall xi. 55 Under the Influence of the Genius Loci, he had discovered a Way to forward..the Design that was Beneficial to the Society.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker III. 9 The pleasure-grounds are, in my opinion, not so well laid out according to the genius loci.
1848 19th Cent. 2 15 He speedily succumbs to the genius loci—the atmosphere and the sentiment which surround him.
1871 J. S. Le Fanu Checkmate xxiv. 65/1 The character of that singular place—the genius loci is there.
1950 G. Brenan Face of Spain viii. 180 Although the sense of the genius loci was strong, it was a place almost too simple and idyllic to be mysterious.
1985 D. Lowenthal Past is Foreign Country (1988) p. xviii Delight in continuity and cumulation is integral to English appreciation of genius loci, the enduring idiosyncrasies that lend places their precious identity.
2010 Art Q. Summer 142/2 These sites had a talismanic quality which he called genius loci, or ‘the spirit of the place’, and which he tried to capture in his paintings.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?1578