genius loci

1. 1.

   the special atmosphere of a place

   Broaderatmosphere
2. 2.

   the guardian spirit of a place

   Broaderguardian spirit

Questions about genius loci

What does genius loci mean?

genius loci means "the special atmosphere of a place". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

Is genius loci a common word?

genius loci is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.