n.
Pronunciation: ' j ē -n ə s, ' je-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural gen · era \ ' je-n ə -r ə \ also ge · nus · es
Etymology: Latin gener-, genus birth, race, kind ― more at KIN
Date: 1551
1 : a class, kind, or group marked by common characteristics or by one common characteristic specifically : a category of biological classification ranking between the family and the species, comprising structurally or phylogenetically related species or an isolated species exhibiting unusual differentiation, and being designated by a Latin or latinized capitalized singular noun
2 : a class of objects divided into several subordinate species