genus

See also: Genus, ĝenus, and -genus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin genus (“birth, origin, a race, sort, kind”) from the root gen- in Latin gignere, Old Latin gegnere (“to beget, produce”). Doublet of gender, genre, and kin.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: jēn’-əs, jĕn’-əs, IPA(key): /ˈdʒiːnəs/, /ˈdʒɛnəs/
  • (US) enPR: jēn’-əs, IPA(key): /ˈdʒiːnəs/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːnəs

Noun

genus (plural genera)

  1. (taxonomy) a rank in the classification of organisms, below family and above species; a taxon at that rank
    All magnolias belong to the genus Magnolia.
    Other species of the genus Bos are often called cattle or wild cattle.
    There are only two genera and species of seadragons.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 6
      Müller […] criticized the division of the "Jubuleae" into two families and he cited Jubula as an annectant genus.
  2. A group with common attributes.
    • 1945, Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, p. 655:
      Recollection is one of a whole genus of effects which are more or less peculiar to the phenomena that we naturally call "mental."
  3. (topology) A number measuring some aspect of the complexity of any of various manifolds or graphs
  4. (semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept.

Synonyms

  • See also Thesaurus:class

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

See also

Further reading

  • genus in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • genus in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin genus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡeːnus/, [ˈɡ̊eːnus]

Noun

genus n (plural indefinite genus or genera)

  1. (biology, taxonomy) genus
  2. (grammar) gender

Synonyms

  • (taxonomic genus): slægt
  • (grammatical genus): køn

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin genus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɣeː.nʏs/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: ge‧nus

Noun

genus n (plural genera)

  1. (botany) a rank in a taxonomic classification, in between family and species.
  2. (botany) a taxon at this rank
  3. (linguistics) gender

Synonyms

Latin

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *genos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os (“race”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to produce, beget”); compare also gēns, from the same root. Cognates include Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “race, stock, kin, kind”), Sanskrit जनस् (jánas, “race, class of beings”).

Noun

genus n (genitive generis); third declension

  1. birth, origin
  2. kind, type, class
    • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri 26.1
      huic generi militum senatus eundem, quem Cannensibus, finem statuerat militiae.
      For this class of soldier the senate had established a limit in duration to their military service, which was the same as the men at Cannae.
  3. species (of animal or plant), race (of people)
    • 70 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Georgics III
      omne adeo genus in terris hominumque ferarumque
      et genus aequoreum pecudes pictaeque volucres
      in furias ignemque ruunt
      So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
      whether the aquatic species, livestock, or painted-winged,
      collapse into the frenzies and the fire [of sex].
  4. set, group (with common attributes)
  5. (grammar) gender
    • Andreas Semperius (Andreas Sampere, Andreu Sempere; 16th century): Andreae Semperii Valentini Alcodiani, doctoris medici, prima grammaticae latinae institutio tribus libris explicata, Majorca/Mallorca, 1819, p.19
      Genera nominum, septem sunt. Masculinum, cui praeponitur hic: ut hic Dominus. Foemineum, cui praeponitur haec: ut haec musa. Neutrum, cui praeponuntur hoc: ut hoc templum. Commune, cui praeponuntur hic, & haec: ut hic, & haec Sacerdos. Omne, cui praeponuntur hic, haec, hoc, vel per tres varias voces inflectitur: ut hic, haec, hoc felix, bonus, bona, bonum. Dubium, quod modo masculinum, modo faemineum, apud Oratores etiam invenitur: ut hic, vel haec dies. Promiscuum, in quo sexus uterque per alterum apparet: ut hic passer, haec aquila, hic lepus.
    • Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus (attributed): Commentarium de oratione et de octo partibus orationis. In: „Patrologiae cursus completus sive Bibliotheca universalis, integra, uniformis, commoda, oeconomica, omnium ss. patrum, doctorum scriptorumque ecclesiasticorum qui ab aevo apostolico ad innocentii III tempora floruerunt; […] . Series prima, in qua prodeunt patres, doctores scriptoresque ecclesiae latinae a tertulliano ad gregorium magnum. Accurante J.-P. Migne, cursuum completorum in singulos scientiae ecclesiaticae ramos editore. Patrologiae tomus LXX. Cassiodori tomus posterior. – Magni Aurelii Cassiodori senatoris, viri patricii, consularis, et vivariensis abbatis opera omnia in duos tomos distributa, ad fidem manuscriptiorum codicum emendata et aucta, notis, observationibus et indicibus locupletata, praecedente auctoris vita, quae nunc primum in lucem prodit cum dissertatione de ejus monarchatu. Opera et studio J. Garetii monarchi ordinis sancti Benedicti e congregatione sancti mauri. Nobis autem curantibus accesserunt complexiones in epistolas b. Pauli quas edidit et annotavit scipio Maffeius. Tomus posterior. – Parisiis, venit apud editorem, in via dicta d'amboise, près la barriere d'enfer, ou petit-montrouge. 1847“, p.1225
      Genera nominum sunt sex: masculinum, ut hic Cato; femininum, ut haec musa; neutrum, ut hoc monile; commune duorum generum, ut hic et haec sacerdos: trium generum, ut hic, et haec, et hoc felix; epicoenon, quod Latine promiscuum dicitur, ut passer, aquila.
    • Aelius Donatus, Ars Minor De Verbo
      Genera verborum quot sunt? Quinque. Quae? Activa passiva neutra deponentia communia.
    • Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentarius in Artem Donati
      Verborum genera quinque sunt, activa passiva neutra communia deponentia.
Inflection

Third declension neuter.

Case Singular Plural
nominative genus genera
genitive generis generum
dative generī generibus
accusative genus genera
ablative genere generibus
vocative genus genera
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Descendants

Etymology 2

See etymology on the main entry.

Noun

genūs

  1. genitive singular of genū

References

  • genus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • genus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • genus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • an Englishman by birth: natione, genere Anglus
    • the position of the lower classes: condicio ac fortuna hominum infimi generis
    • from this point of view; similarly: quo in genere
    • from every point of view; looked at in every light: omni ex parte; in omni genere; omnibus rebus
    • to be engaged in any branch of study: in aliquo litterarum genere versari
    • the species is subordinate the genus: partes generibus subiectae sunt
    • to differ qualitatively not quantitatively: genere, non numero or magnitudine differre
    • this word is neuter: hoc vocabulum generis neutri (not neutrius) est)
    • to be of noble family: generis antiquitate florere
    • of illustrious family: nobili, honesto, illustri loco or genere natus
    • people of every rank: homines omnis generis
    • the aristocracy (as a social class): nobiles; nobilitas; qui nobilitate generis excellunt
    • (ambiguous) the male, female sex: sexus (not genus) virilis, muliebris
    • (ambiguous) to choose a career, profession: genus vitae (vivendi) or aetatis degendae deligere
    • (ambiguous) to analyse a general division into its specific parts: genus universum in species certas partiri et dividere (Or. 33. 117)
    • (ambiguous) to transplant to Rome one of the branches of poesy: poesis genus ad Romanos transferre
    • (ambiguous) style: genus dicendi (scribendi); oratio
    • (ambiguous) elevated, moderate, plain style: genus dicendi grave or grande, medium, tenue (cf. Or. 5. 20; 6. 21)
    • (ambiguous) a running style: fusum orationis genus
    • (ambiguous) a rough, unpolished style: inconditum dicendi genus (Brut. 69. 242)
    • (ambiguous) a bombastic style: inflatum orationis genus
    • (ambiguous) to adopt the language of everyday life: accedere ad cotidiani sermonis genus

Swedish

Noun

genus n

  1. (grammar) gender (division of nouns and pronouns)
  2. (social) gender, sex (social issues of being man or woman)

Usage notes

  • Biological gender is called kön. The Latin word genus is used for grammar and more recently for gender studies.

Declension

Declension of genus 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative genus genuset genus genusen
Genitive genus genusets genus genusens

Synonyms

References

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.