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species
[ spee-sheez, -seez ]
/ Ėspi Źiz, -siz /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural speĀ·cies.
adjective
Horticulture. pertaining to a plant that is a representative member of a species, one that is not a hybrid or variety: a species rose; a species gladiolus.
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Origin of species
First recorded in 1545ā55; from Latin speciÄs āappearance, form, sort, kind,ā equivalent to spec(ere) āto look, regardā + -iÄs abstract noun suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM species
suĀ·perĀ·speĀ·cies, noun, plural suĀ·perĀ·speĀ·cies.unĀ·derĀ·speĀ·cies, noun, plural unĀ·derĀ·speĀ·cies.Words nearby species
specialty, speciate, speciation, specie, specie point, species, speciesism, species-specific, specif., specifiable, specific
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use species in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for species
species
/ (ĖspiĖŹiĖz, Latin ĖspiĖŹÉŖĖiĖz) /
noun plural -cies
Word Origin for species
C16: from Latin: appearance, from specere to look
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for species
species
[ spÄā²shÄz, spÄā²sÄz ]
A group of organisms having many characteristics in common and ranking below a genus. Organisms that reproduce sexually and belong to the same species interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Species names are usually written lower case and in italics, as rex in Tyrannosaurus rex. See Table at taxonomy.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary
Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for species
species
[ (spee-sheez, spee-seez) ]
A group of closely related and interbreeding living things; the smallest standard unit of biological classification. Species can be divided into varieties, races, breeds, or subspecies. Red pines, sugar maples, cats, dogs, chimpanzees, and people are species; Siamese cats and beagles are varieties, not species. (See Linnean classification.)
notes for species
The term can be used to refer to any group of related things: āThis species of novel has become quite popular in recent years.ā
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright Ā© 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with species
species
see endangered species.
The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.