Meaning & use
genus
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
A group of closely related species in biological classification, ranking above species and below family.
Grammar: Plural genera. The genus name starts with a capital: Homo sapiens belongs to the genus Homo.
Patterns
- the genus of something
- belong to the genus X
Lions and tigers belong to the same genus, Panthera.
The genus Quercus contains the oaks.
Scientists placed the new beetle in an existing genus.
nouncountableformalrare
A general kind or class of things sharing a common feature.
Grammar: Formal and rare outside science and philosophy: a genus of arguments.
Patterns
- a genus of something
Satire is a genus of writing with many forms.
The philosopher described a whole genus of errors.
Different kinds of puns fall under one comic genus.
Word forms
| plural | genera |
|---|
Common combinations
- belong to a genus
- Wolves and dogs belong to the genus Canis.
- genus and species
- Every organism has a genus and species name.
- within the genus
- Several new species were found within the genus.
- genus name
- The genus name is always capitalized.
- type genus
- The type genus defines the family.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- genera noun
- plural of genus
- generic adjective
- relating to a whole class or genus, not specific
- genus-level adjective
- at the rank of genus
- subgenus noun
- a group within a genus
Commonly confused: genus or genius? genus or species?
genus vs genius
Genius means remarkable intelligence or a very gifted person. Genus is a scientific classification rank. They sound similar but are different words.
genus vs species
A species is a smaller group within a genus, made up of individuals that can breed together.
Practice
In the name Panthera leo, the word Panthera is the ____.
Choose one answer.
The first part of a scientific name is the genus, and leo is the species. Family is a higher rank.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “genus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.