genus
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin genus (“birth, origin, a race, sort, kind”) from the root gen- in Latin gignō (“to beget, produce”). Doublet of gender, genre, and kin.
Pronunciation
Noun
genus (plural genera or (both nonstandard) genuses or genusses)
- (biology, taxonomy) A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species.
- 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[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 6:
- Müller […] criticized the division of the "Jubuleae" into two families and he cited Jubula as an annectant genus.
- A taxon at this rank.
- A group with common attributes.
- 1945, Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, page 655:
- Recollection is one of a whole genus of effects which are more or less peculiar to the phenomena that we naturally call "mental."
- (topology, graph theory, algebraic geometry) A natural number representing any of several related measures of the complexity of a given manifold or graph.
- (semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept.
- (music) A type of tuning or intonation, used within an Ancient Greek tetrachord.
Usage notes
- (biology, taxonomy, rank in the classification of organisms): See generic name, binomial nomenclature.
- Do not confuse a genus of things with the genius of things.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:class
Hyponyms
- (topology, graph theory): Euler genus
- (music): chromatic, diatonic, enharmonic (genus)
Derived terms
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also
- (semantics): differentia
- (biological taxa):
Further reading
- “genus”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “genus”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡeːnus/, [ˈɡ̊eːnus]
Noun
Further reading
- genus on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɣeː.nʏs/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: ge‧nus
Noun
genus n (plural genera)
Derived terms
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡenus/, [ˈɡe̞nus̠]
- Rhymes: -enus
- Syllabification(key): ge‧nus
Declension
Inflection of genus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | genus | genukset | ||
genitive | genuksen | genusten genuksien | ||
partitive | genusta | genuksia | ||
illative | genukseen | genuksiin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | genus | genukset | ||
accusative | nom. | genus | genukset | |
gen. | genuksen | |||
genitive | genuksen | genusten genuksien | ||
partitive | genusta | genuksia | ||
inessive | genuksessa | genuksissa | ||
elative | genuksesta | genuksista | ||
illative | genukseen | genuksiin | ||
adessive | genuksella | genuksilla | ||
ablative | genukselta | genuksilta | ||
allative | genukselle | genuksille | ||
essive | genuksena | genuksina | ||
translative | genukseksi | genuksiksi | ||
abessive | genuksetta | genuksitta | ||
instructive | — | genuksin | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of genus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Latin
Etymology 1
From Proto-Italic *genos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os n (“race”), from the root *ǵenh₁- (“to produce, beget”); compare also gēns, gignō and -gnus, from the same root. Cognates include Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “race, stock, kin, kind”), Sanskrit जनस् (jánas, “race, class of beings”), Proto-Celtic *genos (“birth; family”), and English kin. Doublet of genea.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈɡe.nus/, [ˈɡɛnʊs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒe.nus/, [ˈd͡ʒɛːnus]
Noun
genus n (genitive generis); third declension
- birth, origin, lineage, descent
- kind, type, class
- 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 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.
- huic generi militum senatus eundem, quem Cannensibus, finem statuerat militiae.
- species (of animal or plant), race (of people)
- c. 37 BCE – 30 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].
- So far does every species on earth of man and beast,
- omne adeo genus in terris hominumque ferarumque
- set, group (with common attributes)
- (grammar) gender
- 6th century, 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.
- Nouns have six genders: masculine, e.g. hic Cato 'this man Cato'; feminine, e.g. haec musa 'this muse'; neuter, e.g. hoc monile 'this necklace'; common to two genders, e.g. hic et haec sacerdos 'this priest or priestess'; of three genders, e.g. hic, et haec, et hoc felix 'this lucky man, woman or thing'; epicene, called promiscous in Latin, e.g. passer 'sparrow', aquila 'eagle'.
- 16th century, Andreas Semperius (a.k.a. Andreas Sampere, Andreu Sempere): 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.
- Nouns have seven genders. Masculine, which you can precede with hic: hic dominus 'this Lord'. Feminine, which you can precede with haec, e.g. haec musa 'this muse'. Neuter, which you can precede with hoc, e.g. hoc templum 'this temple'. Common, which you can precede with hic and haec: hic & haec sacerdos 'this male or female priest'. Universal, which you can precede with all three of hic, haec, hoc, or which vary in three forms, e.g. hic, haec, hoc felix 'this lucky man, woman, thing', hic bonus, haec bona, hoc bonum 'this good man, good woman, good thing'. Doubtful, which in the orators can be found to be sometimes masculine, sometimes feminine, e.g. hic, vel haec dies 'this day'. Promiscuous, in which a gender appears instead of another, e.g. hic passer 'this sparrow' (always masculine), haec aquila 'this eagle' (always feminine), hic lepus 'this rabbit' (always masculine).
- 6th century, 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
- (grammar) subtype of word
- Aelius Donatus, Ars Minor De Verbo:
- Genera verborum quot sunt? Quinque. Quae? Activa passiva neutra deponentia communia.
- How many types of verbs are there? Five. Which ones? Active, passive, neuter, deponent, common.
- 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.
- There are five types of verbs: active, passive, neuter, common, deponent.
- Verborum genera quinque sunt, activa passiva neutra communia deponentia.
Declension
Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | genus | genera |
Genitive | generis | generum |
Dative | generī | generibus |
Accusative | genus | genera |
Ablative | genere | generibus |
Vocative | genus | genera |
Hyponyms
Descendants
- → Arabic: جِنْس (jins)
- Catalan: gens, gènere
- → Danish: genus
- → Dutch: genus
- → English: genus, gender
- → Finnish: genus
- Franco-Provençal: gins (negative particle in ne... (pâs) gins de)
- French: genre (see there for further descendants)
- Galician: xendra, xénero
- → German: Genus
- → Irish: géineas
- Italian: genere
- → Norwegian Bokmål: genus
- → Portuguese: género, gênero
- Romanian: gen
- Spanish: género
- → Swedish: genus
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈɡe.nuːs/, [ˈɡɛnuːs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒe.nus/, [ˈd͡ʒɛːnus]
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 with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 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
- an Englishman by birth: natione, genere Anglus
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
genus m or n (definite singular genusen or genuset, indefinite plural genera or genus, definite plural genera or generaa or genusa or genusane)
References
- “genus” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Swedish
Noun
genus n
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
- (grammar): kön
Related terms
- genusforskning
- genusfråga
- genuspedagogik
- genusperspektiv
- genusteori
- genusväxling
- genusändelse