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species

[ spee-sheez, -seez ]
/ ˈspi ʃiz, -siz /
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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 1545–55; from Latin speciēs ā€œappearance, form, sort, kind,ā€ equivalent to spec(ere) ā€œto look, regardā€ + -iēs 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 THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH species

1. species , specious2. genus, species
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
/ (ˈspiːʃiːz, Latin ˈspiːʃɪˌiːz) /

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
[ spē′shēz, spē′sēz ]

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: ā€œThis 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.
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