ge|nus

ge|nus «JEE nuhs», noun, plural gen|e|ra or ge|nus|es.

1. any group of similar things; kind; sort; class: »

Assuming, however, that there still exists the genus serious reader (Hayden Carruth).

2. a group of related animals or plants. A genus ranks below a family or subfamily and above a species. A genus generally consists of two or more species, but sometimes of a single species, possessing certain common structural characteristics distinct from those of any other group. The scientific name of an animal or plant consists of the genus written with a capital letter and the species written with a small letter. Example: Homo sapiens. Abbr: gen.

3. Logic. a class or group of individuals divided into subordinate groups called species.

╂[< Latin genus, -eris race, stock, kind < gen-, em of gignere produce, beget]