Sep 25, 2005 00:14
From webster.com:
congenial • \kun-JEE-nee-ul\
1 : having the same nature, disposition, or tastes : kindred
2 a : existing or associated together harmoniously
b : pleasant; especially : agreeably suited to one's nature, tastes, or outlook
c : sociable, genial
Example sentence:
Brenda had hoped for a congenial roommate, and, indeed, she and Lisa get along fabulously.
According to ancient Roman and Greek mythology, each person at birth was assigned a guardian spirit. The Latin name for this attendant spirit was "genius."
Two people who get along well together can be thought of as sharing a similar spirit; they might even be described by a word combining the Latin prefix "con-" (meaning "with, together") and "genius."
And, indeed, it was this "con-genius" combination that gave rise in the 17th century to the English word "congenial."
(The Greek word for the guardian spirit, "daimōn," gave us "eudaemonia," meaning "well-being" or "happiness," but that word is extremely rare.) <--emphasis mine
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