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genus
[ jee-nuhs ]
/ ˈdʒi nəs /
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noun, plural gen·e·ra [jen-er-uh], /ˈdʒɛn ər ə/, ge·nus·es.
Biology. the usual major subdivision of a family or subfamily in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of more than one species.
Logic. a class or group of individuals, or of species of individuals.
a kind; sort; class.
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Origin of genus
OTHER WORDS FROM genus
pseu·do·ge·nus, noun, plural pseu·do·gen·e·ra, pseu·do·ge·nus·es.Words nearby genus
genuine, genuine article, genuinely, genuineness, gen up, genus, genu valgum, Gen X, Gen Y, geo-, geobotany
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use genus in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for genus
genus
/ (ˈdʒiːnəs) /
noun plural genera (ˈdʒɛnərə) or genuses
biology any of the taxonomic groups into which a family is divided and which contains one or more species. For example, Vulpes (foxes) is a genus of the dog family (Canidae)
logic a class of objects or individuals that can be divided into two or more groups or species
a class, group, etc, with common characteristics
maths a number characterizing a closed surface in topology equal to the number of handles added to a sphere to form the surface. A sphere has genus 0, a torus, genus 1, etc
Word Origin for genus
C16: from Latin: race
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for genus
genus
[ jē′nəs ]
Plural genera (jĕn′ər-ə)
A group of organisms ranking above a species and below a family. The names of genera, like those of species, are written in italics. For example, Periplaneta is the genus of the American cockroach, and comes from the Greek for wandering about. See Table at taxonomy.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for genus
genus
[ (jee-nuhs) ]
In biology, the classification lower than a family and higher than a species. Wolves belong to the same genus as dogs. Foxes belong to a different genus from that of dogs and wolves, but to the same family. (See Linnean classification.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.