subgenus

[ suhb-jee-nuhs ]

noun

, Anthropology, Biology.

, plural sub·gen·er·a [suhb-, jen, -er-, uh], sub·ge·nus·es.

1. a category of related species within a genus.

subgenus

/ ˌsʌbdʒəˈnɛrɪk; sʌbˈdʒiːnəs; -ˌdʒɛn-; -ˈdʒɛn-; ˈsʌbˌdʒiːnəs /

noun

1. biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a genus but of higher rank than a species

Derived Forms

• subgeneric, adjective

Other Words From

• sub·ge·ner·ic [suhb-j, uh, -, ner, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of subgenus¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1805–15; sub-, genus

Example Sentences

Where did the virus acquire the furin cleavage site, since no other viruses in the sarbecovirus subgenus, to which its closest relatives belong, have this feature?

From Washington Post

If this sounds like the setup for a smart, stinging contemporary comedy, of the imminent-empty-nest subgenus, it very much is.

From New York Times

Complicating matters is the decision to confine such an unconventional figure as Cher in the straitjacket of the biographical jukebox musical — particularly the tripartite diva subgenus most recently botched by “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.”

From New York Times

It elevates the previously known snails from what had earlier been described as a subgenus, Opisthostoma, to the full genus of Plectostoma.

From Scientific American

However, the two have been considered distinct enough at times that they’ve been given their own subgenera.

From Scientific American