ˈjēnəs sometimes ˈjen- noun
( plural gen·era ˈjenərə)
Etymology: Latin, birth, race, class, kind — more at kin
1. : a class, kind, or group marked by common characteristics or by one common characteristic : a group capable of including subgroups and also of being subsumed in a larger group
such streams are a genus by themselves and not miniature rivers — John Buchan
specifically : a taxonomic category ranking between the family and the species, comprising a group of structurally or phylogenetically related species or an isolated species exhibiting unusual differentiation, and being designated by a Latin or latinized capitalized singular noun which constitutes the first word of the technical name of a species or of any of its subdivisions and which is often used usually uncapitalized and pluralized with a regular ending or sometimes a latinate plural as a vernacular name for plants or animals of the constituent species
the species of oak collectively form the genus Quercus
— compare classification 1a, nomenclature 4c
2.
[New Latin, from Latin]
: a class of objects divided into several subordinate species : a class more extensive than a species
3. : mode ; specifically : one of three basic tetrachords in Greek music
Synonyms: see class