Etymology Borrowed from Latin genus (“birth, origin, a race, sort, kind”) from the root gen- in Latin gignere, Old Latin gegnere (“to beget, produce”), from Proto-Italic *gignō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵíǵnh₁-, the reduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-. Cognate to Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to come into being, to be born, to take place”). Doublet of gender, genre, and kin. Pronunciation (UK) enPR: jēn’-əs, jĕn’-əs, IPA(key): /ˈdʒiːnəs/, /ˈdʒɛnəs/ (US) enPR: jēn’-əs, IPA(key): /ˈdʒiːnəs/ Noun genus (plural genera or (both nonstandard) genuses or genusses) (biology, taxonomy) A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species. A taxon at this rank. All magnolias belong to the genus Magnolia. […]