genie (redirected from Genies)

genie: see jinni.

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jinni

 or genie plural jinn

In Arabic mythology, any of the supernatural spirits less powerful than angels or devils. Evil spirits of air or fire, they could take animal or human form and could dwell in inanimate objects or under the earth. They had the bodily needs of human beings and could be killed but were otherwise free of physical restraints. Jinn delighted in punishing humans for any harm done to them, but people who knew the proper magical procedure could exploit them to their own advantage. The jinn were popular subjects for folklore, notably in the tale of Aladdin in The Thousand and One Nights.

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Genie

An online information and bulletin board service that closed its doors at the end of 1999, much to the dismay of its many users, some of whom were still chatting when the plug was pulled. Genie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was set up as a joint venture between GE and Ameritech in 1985, and in time was acquired by Yovelle Renaissance Corporation and then by IDT in the mid-1990s. Its roundtable discussions, chat lines, games and Internet access attracted a niche of science fiction aficionados as well as horror and fantasy writers. The growth of other online services affected Genie's traffic, which in those early days, peaked at some 400,000 users. See online service. See also Jini.

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genie

1. (in fairy tales and stories) a servant who appears by magic and fulfils a person's wishes

2. another word for jinni