Meaning & use

spp.

noun·Academic

Last updated

An abbreviation used after a genus name to indicate multiple unspecified species belonging to that genus.

See it in a sentence

The lake contains several Daphnia spp. that researchers have not yet identified individually.

The report lists sightings of Quercus spp. across the reserve without naming each oak species.

A note on using this word

"Spp." is the plural form of the abbreviation "sp." (single unspecified species) and is standard in scientific and taxonomic writing.

Words with a similar meaning

species (plural)

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