species

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See also Species

Contents

English [edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia

Etymology [edit]

From Latin speciēs (appearance; quality), from speciō (see) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun.

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (RP) IPA: /ˈspiːʃiːz/
  • (US) IPA: /ˈspiːʃiːz/, /ˈspiːsiːz/
  • (file)

Noun [edit]

species (plural species)

  1. A type or kind of thing.
    • R. H. Hutton
      What is called spiritualism should, I think, be called a mental species of materialism.
  2. A group of plants or animals having similar appearance.
    • 2012 January 1, Donald Worster, “A Drier and Hotter Future”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 70: 
      Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.
    This species of animal is unique to the area.
  3. (biology, taxonomy) A rank in the classification of organisms, below genus and above subspecies; a taxon at that rank
    • Darwin, On the Origin of Species:
      Hence, in determining whether a form should be ranked as a species or a variety, the opinion of naturalists having sound judgment and wide experience seems the only guide to follow.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page vii
      Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
  4. (mineralogy) A mineral with a unique chemical formula whose crystals belong to a unique crystallographic system.
  5. (obsolete) The image of something cast on a surface, or reflected from a surface, or refracted through a lens or telescope; a reflection.
    I cast the species of the Sun onto a sheet of paper through a telescope.
  6. (Roman Catholicism) Either of the two elements of the Eucharist after they have been consecrated, so named because they retain the image of the bread and wine before their transubstantiation into the body and blood of Christ.

Usage notes [edit]

  • specie is a separate word that means coin money, not the singular version of species.
  • (biology, taxonomy, rank in the classification of organisms): See species name.

Derived terms [edit]

Related terms [edit]

See also [edit]

Translations [edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

References [edit]


Latin [edit]

Latin Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia la

Etymology [edit]

From speciō (see) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

speciēs (genitive speciēī); f, fifth declension

  1. a seeing, view, look
  2. a spectacle, sight
  3. external appearance; general outline or shape
  4. semblance, pretence, pretext, outward show
  5. show, display
  6. (figuratively) vision, dream, apparition
  7. (figuratively) honor, reputation
  8. (figuratively) a kind, quality, species
  9. (law, later) a special case

Inflection [edit]

Number Singular Plural
nominative speciēs speciēs
genitive speciēī speciērum
dative speciēī speciēbus
accusative speciem speciēs
ablative speciē speciēbus
vocative speciēs speciēs

Derived terms [edit]

Descendants [edit]