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

That’s a type of chicory, a member of an entirely different genus. — Rebekah Denn, The Seattle Times, "In defense of the dandelion," 9 Oct. 2018 In doing so, the monkeys became the first of their genus and the fourth of all nonhuman primates to enter the Stone Age, so to speak. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Did the Human Hand Evolve as a Lean Mean Bone-Smashing Machine?," 13 July 2018 In many American homes, water is treated with chlorine and chloramine, which kill pathogens but not mycobacteria, a genus that includes the cause of tuberculosis. — Lisa Margonelli, WSJ, "‘Never Home Alone’ Review: The Critters Chez Nous," 28 Nov. 2018 The differences are enough to declare the animal a previously unknown genus and species of gibbon, dubbed Junzi imperialis. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Extinct Gibbon Species Discovered in 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Tomb," 23 June 2018 The most likely bet is H. erectus, an archaic human species that first evolved nearly 2 million years ago and may have been the first member of our genus to expand out of Africa, the team writes today in Nature. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "Ancient humans settled the Philippines 700,000 years ago," 2 May 2018 Grow an oak tree Not only do oak trees produce nutrient-dense acorns (a favorite of woodpeckers), but this genus of trees is host to more kinds of insects than any other. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "How To Attract Woodpeckers To Your Yard (And Why You'd Want To)," 13 June 2017 There are over 100 genuses in the Liliaceae family. 2. — Taylor Murphy, House Beautiful, "8 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Lilies," 14 July 2015 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

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

3 Mar 2019

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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