Genus

/ˈdʒiːnəs/ · noun

Meaning

(biology, taxonomy) A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species..

Definitions by Sense

1. (biology, taxonomy) A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species.
2. A group with common attributes.
3. (topology, graph theory, algebraic geometry) A natural number representing any of several related measures of the complexity of a given manifold or graph.
4. (semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept.
5. (music) A type of tuning or intonation, used within an Ancient Greek tetrachord.

Example Sentences

All magnolias belong to the genus Magnolia.

Other species of the genus Bos are often called cattle or wild cattle.

There are only two genera and species of seadragons.

Müller […] criticized the division of the "Jubuleae" into two families and he cited Jubula as an annectant genus.

Other maloid genera with hard nutlets are Cotoneaster, Hesperomeles, Osteomeles, and Pyracantba, but each of these is quite different from Mespilus and Crataegus.

Recollection is one of a whole genus of effects which are more or less peculiar to the phenomena that we naturally call "mental."

Synonyms for genus

Antonyms for genus

Related Words

Word Forms

• genera
• genuses
• genusses
• genii

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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