genus

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

genus

a kind; sort; class or group of individuals or of species of individuals

Not to be confused with:

genius – exceptional natural ability; a person of extraordinarily high intelligence; gift, talent, aptitude, faculty

ge·nus

(jē′nəs)

n. pl. gen·er·a (jĕn′ər-ə)

1. Biology A taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and designating a group of species that are presumed to be closely related and usually exhibit similar characteristics. In a scientific name, the genus name is capitalized and italicized, for example,Ovis for sheep and related animals.

2. Logic A class of objects divided into subordinate species having certain common attributes.

3. A class, group, or kind with common attributes.

[Latin, kind; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

genus

(ˈdʒiːnəs)

n, pl genera (ˈdʒɛnərə) or genuses

1. (Biology) 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) 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. (Mathematics) 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

[C16: from Latin: race]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ge•nus

(ˈdʒi nəs)

n., pl. gen•e•ra (ˈdʒɛn ər ə)
ge•nus•es.

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

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

3. a kind; sort; class.

[1545–55; < Latin: race, stock, kind, gender, c. Greek génos]

ge·nus

(jē′nəs)

Plural genera (jĕn′ər-ə)

A group of organisms ranking above a species and below a family. See Table at taxonomy.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Genus

a class, order, or type of thing, esp. of plants or animals.

genus

A group of closely related species.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	genus - a general kind of something; "ignore the genus communism" kind, sort, form, variety - a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality; "sculpture is a form of art"; "what kinds of desserts are there?"
	2.	genus - (biology) taxonomic group containing one or more species form genus - an artificial taxonomic category established on the basis of morphological resemblance for organisms of obscure true relationships especially fossil forms bacteria genus - a genus of bacteria protoctist genus - any genus of Protoctista fish genus - any of various genus of fish chordate genus - any genus in the phylum Chordata bird genus - a genus of birds amphibian genus - any genus of amphibians reptile genus - a genus of reptiles arthropod genus - a genus of arthropods mammal genus - a genus of mammals sponge genus - a genus of Porifera coelenterate genus - a genus of coelenterates ctenophore genus - a genus of ctenophores worm genus - a genus of worms mollusk genus - a genus of mollusks echinoderm genus - a genus of echinoderms biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group - animal or plant group having natural relations family - (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera; "sharks belong to the fish family" subgenus - (biology) taxonomic group between a genus and a species type genus - (biology) genus from which the name of a family or subfamily is formed; it is not necessarily the most representative genus but often the largest or best known or earliest described form genus - (biology) an artificial taxonomic category for organisms of which the true relationships are obscure species - (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed moss genus - a genus of mosses gymnosperm genus - a genus of gymnosperms liliopsid genus, monocot genus - genus of flowering plants having a single cotyledon (embryonic leaf) in the seed dicot genus, magnoliopsid genus - genus of flowering plants having two cotyledons (embryonic leaves) in the seed which usually appear at germination fungus genus - includes lichen genera plant genus - a genus of plants fern genus - genera of ferns and fern allies

genus

noun type, sort, kind, group, set, order, race, class, breed, category, genre, classification all the species of a particular genus

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

rod

Gattung

genro

suku

nemzetség

släkte

genus

[ˈdʒenəs] N (genera or genuses (pl)) (Bio) → género m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

genus

[ˈdʒiːnəs] [genera] [ˈdʒɛnərə] (pl) n → genre m

genus

n pl <genera> (Biol) → Gattung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

genus

[ˈdʒɛnəs] n (genera (pl)) [ˈdʒɛnərə] → genere m

ge·nus

n. género, categoría perteneciente a una clasificación biológica.

References in classic literature ?

Take as an instance the genus 'animal' and the genus 'knowledge'.

But where one genus is subordinate to another, there is nothing to prevent their having the same differentiae: for the greater class is predicated of the lesser, so that all the differentiae of the predicate will be differentiae also of the subject.

View in context

Metaphor is the application of an alien name by transference either from genus to species, or from species to genus, or from species to species, or by analogy, that is, proportion Thus from genus to species, as: 'There lies my ship'; for lying at anchor is a species of lying.

View in context

I also frequently observed in the lagoon near the Botanic Garden, where the water is only a little less salt than in the sea, a species of hydrophilus, very similar to a water-beetle common in the ditches of England: in the same lake the only shell belonged to a genus generally found in estuaries.

The existence of a division of the genus Planaria, which inhabits the dry land, interested me much.

A small frog, of the genus Hyla, sits on a blade of grass about an inch above the surface of the water, and sends forth a pleasing chirp: when several are together they sing in harmony on different notes.

It is remarkable that in all the different kinds of glowworms, shining elaters, and various marine animals (such as the crustacea, medusae, nereidae, a coralline of the genus Clytia, and Pyrosma), which I have observed, the light has been of a well-marked green colour.

I was much interested one day by watching a deadly contest between a Pepsis and a large spider of the genus Lycosa.

View in context

Bears on natural selection -- The term used in a wide sense -- Geometrical powers of increase -- Rapid increase of naturalised animals and plants -- Nature of the checks to increase -- Competition universal -- Effects of climate -- Protection from the number of individuals -- Complex relations of all animals and plants throughout nature -- Struggle for life most severe between individuals and varieties of the same species; often severe between species of the same genus -- The relation of organism to organism the most important of all relations.

How do those groups of species, which constitute what are called distinct genera, and which differ from each other more than do the species of the same genus, arise?

Hence I have very little doubt, that if the whole genus of humble-bees became extinct or very rare in England, the heartsease and red clover would become very rare, or wholly disappear.

As species of the same genus have usually, though by no means invariably, some similarity in habits and constitution, and always in structure, the struggle will generally be more severe between species of the same genus, when they come into competition with each other, than between species of distinct genera.