Sunday, November 8, 2009

genus

— ge·nus |ˈjēnəs| noun
( pl. genera |ˈjenərə| or ge·nus·es)
a grouping of organisms having common characteristics distinct from those of other such groupings. The genus is a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name, e.g., Hibiscus.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin, ‘birth, race, stock.