Ingenious
- Ingenious In*gen"ious, a. [L. ingeniosus, fr. ingenium innate
or natural quality, natural capacity, genius: cf. F.
ing['e]nieux. See {Engine}.]
1. Possessed of genius, or the faculty of invention; skillful
or promp to invent; having an aptitude to contrive, or to
form new combinations; as, an ingenious author, mechanic.
[1913 Webster]
A man . . . very wise and ingenious in feats of war. --Hakluyt. [1913 Webster]
Thou, king, send out For torturers ingenious. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
The more ingenious men are, the more apt are they to trouble themselves. --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster]
2. Proceeding from, pertaining to, or characterized by, genius or ingenuity; of curious design, structure, or mechanism; as, an ingenious model, or machine; an ingenious scheme, contrivance, etc. [1913 Webster]
Thus men go wrong with an ingenious skill. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]
3. Witty; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious; as, an ingenious reply. [1913 Webster]
4. Mental; intellectual. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
A course of learning and ingenious studies. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
Look at other dictionaries:
Ingenious — A game in play Designer(s) Reiner Knizia Publisher(s) Fantasy Flight Games Kosmos Sophisticated Games Players … Wikipedia
ingenious — ingenious, ingenuous These two words are distantly related and both have undergone a major shift in meaning. Ingenious came into English via French from a Latin source derived from ingenium ‘cleverness’; it originally meant ‘intellectual,… … Modern English usage
ingenious — early 15c., intellectual, talented, from M.Fr. ingénieux clever, ingenious (O.Fr. engeignos), from L. ingeniosus of good capacity, full of intellect; clever, gifted with genius, from ingenium innate qualities, ability, lit. that which is inborn,… … Etymology dictionary
ingenious — [in jēn′yəs] adj. [LME < MFr ingenieux < L ingeniosus, of good capacity, gifted with genius, ingenious < ingenium, innate quality, ability < in , in + gignere: see GENUS] 1. Obs. having genius; having great mental ability 2. clever,… … English World dictionary
ingenious — index artful, competent, deft, expert, fertile, original (creative), politic, proficient … Law dictionary
ingenious — cunning, *clever, adroit Analogous words: inventing or inventive, creating or creative, discovering (see corresponding verbs at INVENT): *dexterous, handy, deft: skillful, adept, skilled, expert, *proficient, masterly … New Dictionary of Synonyms
ingenious — [adj] clever; brilliant able, adroit, artistic, bright, canny, crafty, creative, cunning, deviceful, dexterous, gifted, imaginative, innovational, innovative, innovatory, intelligent, inventive, original, ready, resourceful, shrewd, skillful, sly … New thesaurus
ingenious — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ clever, original, and inventive. DERIVATIVES ingeniously adverb ingeniousness noun. ORIGIN Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium mind, intellect ; related to ENGINE(Cf. ↑engineless) … English terms dictionary
ingenious — ingeniously, adv. ingeniousness, n. /in jeen yeuhs/, adj. 1. characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction: an ingenious machine. 2. cleverly inventive or resourceful: an ingenious press agent. 3. Obs. a. intelligent;… … Universalium
ingenious — in•gen•ious [[t]ɪnˈdʒin yəs[/t]] adj. 1) characterized by cleverness or originality of invention: an ingenious argument[/ex] 2) cleverly inventive; resourceful: an ingenious mechanic[/ex] 3) Obs. a) intelligent; showing genius b) ingenuous •… … From formal English to slang
