genus

noun

ge·nus | \ˈjē-nəs,

ˈje-

plural genera\ˈje-nə-rə

\ also genuses

Definition of genus

1 : a class, kind, or group marked by common characteristics or by one common characteristic specifically : a category of biological classification ranking between the family and the species, comprising structurally or phylogenetically (see phylogenetic sense 2) related species or an isolated species exhibiting unusual differentiation, and being designated by a Latin or latinized capitalized singular noun

2 : a class of objects divided into several subordinate species

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Examples of genus in a Sentence

the crime novel, written from the criminal's perspective, is sometimes seen as a particular species of the detective story genus

Recent Examples on the Web

But only plants in the genus Lilium[link target='_blank' href='https://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2006/truelily.shtml' link_updater_label='external']are considered true lilies. — Taylor Murphy, House Beautiful, "8 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Lilies," 14 July 2015 The genus also includes mountain pine beetles, which have killed trees across millions of acres in the Rocky Mountains. — Washington Post, "Pine-killing southern beetle may be more deadly in North," 10 June 2018 The characters’ names are the actual Latin nomenclature for the squirrel genus and species. — Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "La Jolla Playhouse's apocalyptic 'Squirrels' a dark, funny look at prejudice," 14 June 2018 Henipavirus is a genus that includes Nipah virus, a potentially fatal disease that can be transmitted to humans by bats through bites and contact with saliva or urine. — New York Times, "Soccer Players and Their Coach Are on the Mend, Thailand Says," 11 July 2018 The Iceman’s last meal was balanced with grains from einkorn wheat and traces of a genus of toxic ferns called bracken. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "The ‘Iceman’s’ last meal was a high-fat feast," 12 July 2018 Lewisi, named after Lewis, is the 15th species discovered in the genus Islandiana and only the fifth cave dweller among them. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "New Spider Species Discovered In Indiana Cave," 3 July 2018 The strains are now combined under one genus: Brucellosis. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, "Virginia Apgar, the pioneer of neonatal health," 7 June 2018 Learn how to identify conifers found in the Pacific Northwest by family and genus. — Corey Sheldon, OregonLive.com, "HG calendar June 2-10: usher in June with activities in the garden," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

24 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for genus

The first known use of genus was in 1551

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More Definitions for genus

genus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of genus

biology : a group of related animals or plants that includes several or many different species

See the full definition for genus in the English Language Learners Dictionary

genus

noun

ge·nus | \ˈjē-nəs

plural genera\ˈje-nə-rə \

Kids Definition of genus

: a group of related living things (as plants or animals) that ranks below the family in scientific classification and is made up of one or more species

genus

noun

ge·nus | \ˈjē-nəs,

ˈjen-əs

plural genera\ˈjen-ə-rə

Medical Definition of genus

: a class, kind, or group marked by common characteristics or by one common characteristic specifically : a category of biological classification ranking between the family and the species, comprising structurally or phylogenetically related species or an isolated species exhibiting unusual differentiation, and designated by a Latin or latinized capitalized singular noun