Genuses

/ˈdʒiː.nə.səz/ noun

Definition

The plural of genus, a biological classification category that groups together closely related species.

Etymology

From Latin genus (kind, type, birth), which became the standard scientific term for the taxonomic rank between family and species. Genuses is a common English plural, though genera is the Latin plural also used.

Kelly Says

The fact that we have two plurals—genuses (English) and genera (Latin)—shows science borrowing directly from Latin and keeping both forms! Most biologists actually say 'genera' in technical writing, but 'genuses' is perfectly correct English.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.