Main Entry:

¹spe·cies

Pronunciation:

\ˈspē-(ˌ)shēz, -(ˌ)sēz\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural species

Etymology:

Middle English, from Latin, appearance, kind, species, from specere to look — more at spy

Date:

14th century

1 a: kind, sort b: a class of individuals having common attributes and designated by a common name ; specifically : a logical division of a genus or more comprehensive class <confessing sins in species and in number> c: the human race : human beings —often used with the<survival of the species in the nuclear age> d (1): a category of biological classification ranking immediately below the genus or subgenus, comprising related organisms or populations potentially capable of interbreeding, and being designated by a binomial that consists of the name of a genus followed by a Latin or latinized uncapitalized noun or adjective agreeing grammatically with the genus name (2): an individual or kind belonging to a biological species e: a particular kind of atomic nucleus, atom, molecule, or ion2: the consecrated eucharistic elements of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Eucharist3 a: a mental image ; also : a sensible object b: an object of thought correlative with a natural object