Definition of "genus" in English

noun

1. (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.

2. A group with common attributes.

3. (topology, graph theory, algebraic geometry) A natural number representing any of several related measures of the complexity of a given manifold or graph.

4. (semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept.

5. (music) A type of tuning or intonation, used within an Ancient Greek tetrachord.