Refers to the origin or cause of something, often used in scientific or formal contexts to describe how something came into being.
The cause of this disease has not yet been elucidated.
I am researching the origin of volcanoes.
metallogeny; ore genesis
Compound of 成 (sei, 'become, form') and 因 (in, 'cause, factor'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination naturally conveys the idea of a formative cause.