genie

IPA/ˈdʒiːni/
KK[dʒˈini]IPA/ˈdʒiːni/

genie — noun

  • geniesingular
  • geniesplural

1. In traditional Middle Eastern folktales, a supernatural creature with magical po

1.名詞B1
釋義

In traditional Middle Eastern folktales, a supernatural creature with magical powers that is usually kept inside a flask or an oil lamp. When someone frees it, the being must obey the person who released it and can perform magic tasks or make wishes come true.

例句

Hui rubbed the old oil lamp and a genie appeared in a cloud of smoke.

genie + appear + from [container] — introduction pattern

When Dario freed the genie from its bottle, the spirit offered him three wishes.

同義詞
  • jinn

    the original Arabic term; more formal and religious in tone, whereas 'genie' is the everyday English word

  • jinni

    alternative singular spelling of the same Arabic word; used in academic or literary contexts

  • spirit

    broader in meaning — covers ghosts, fairies, and other supernatural beings, not just Middle Eastern folklore

用法筆記

Often associated with the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. The plural can be either genies (the regular English form) or jinn (the Arabic plural). The related spelling jinni (or djinni) refers to the same type of being in Islamic mythology.

常見錯誤

She's a real genie at solving puzzles.
She's a genius at solving puzzles.
💡'genie' means a magical spirit; 'genius' means a person with exceptional intelligence.
I rubbed the bottle but no genie came out.' (when referring to a literal bottle, not a story)
I rubbed the lamp but no genie came out.
💡the genie is always part of a fictional story, not a real event.