genus

[jee-nuhs]

noun

plural

genera, genuses 

1. Biology.,  the usual major subdivision of a family or subfamily in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of more than one species.

2. Logic.,  a class or group of individuals, or of species of individuals.

3. a kind; sort; class.

genus

/ ˈdʒiːnəs /

noun

1. 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 )

2. logic a class of objects or individuals that can be divided into two or more groups or species

3. a class, group, etc, with common characteristics

4. 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

genus

plural

genera 

1. 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.”

2. See Table at taxonomy

genus

1. 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.)

Other Word Forms

• pseudogenus noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of genus¹

1545–55; < Latin: race, stock, kind, gender; cognate with Greek génos. See gens, gender ¹, kin

Word History and Origins

Origin of genus¹

C16: from Latin: race

Example Sentences

"It's in a completely different genus to gray wolves," he said.

From BBC

Nakai spent time studying the Dudleya genus, succulents native to the West Coast, and contributed to its taxonomy, or scientific classification.

From Los Angeles Times

However their diversity remains relatively low, with only 31 described species in the Branchiostegidae family and 19 in the Branchiostegus genus.

From BBC

They are the only snake of their genus to give live birth, the Australian Museum says on its website.

From BBC

These freshwater wetlands harbor abundant species of bacteria in the Mycobacterium genus -- the same genus as the tuberculosis-causing bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

From Science Daily