Definitions for species
ˈspi ʃiz, -sizspecies

Princeton's WordNet(4.43 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. speciesnoun

   (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed

2. speciesnoun

   a specific kind of something

   "a species of molecule"; "a species of villainy"

Wiktionary(4.21 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. speciesnoun

   A group of plants or animals having similar appearance.

   This species of animal is unique to the area.

2. speciesnoun

   A rank in the classification of organisms, below genus and above subspecies; a taxon at that rank

3. speciesnoun

   A mineral with a unique chemical formula whose crystals belong to a unique crystallographic system.

4. speciesnoun

   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.

5. speciesnoun

   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.

6. Etymology: From species, from specio + -ies suffix signifying abstract noun.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Speciesnoun

   Etymology: species, Latin.

   1. A sort; a subdivision of a general term.

   A special idea is called by the schools a species; it is one common nature that agrees to several singular individual beings: so horse is a special idea or species as it agrees to Bucephalus, Trot, and Snowball. Isaac Watts.

   2. Class of nature; single order of beings.

   He intendeth only the care of the species or common natures, but letteth loose the guard of individuals or single existencies. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

   For we are animals no less,
   Although of different species. Hudibras.

   Thou nam’st a race which must proceed from me,
   Yet my whole species in myself I see. Dryden.

   A mind of superior or meaner capacities than human would constitute a different species, though united to a human body in the same laws of connexion: and a mind of human capacities would make another species, if united to a different body in different laws of connexion. Richard Bentley, Sermons.

   3. Appearance to the senses; any visible or sensible representation.

   An apparent diversity between the species visible and audible is, that the visible doth not mingle in the medium, but the audible doth. Francis Bacon.

   It is a most certain rule, how much any body hath of colour, so much hath it of opacity, and by so much the more unfit it is to transmit the species. John Ray, on the Creation.

   The species of the letters illuminated with blue were nearer to the lens than those illuminated with deep red by about three inches, or three and a quarter; but the species of the letters illuminated with indigo and violet appeared so confused and indistinct, that I could not read them. Isaac Newton, Opticks.

   4. Representation to the mind.

   Wit in the poet, or wit-writing is no other than the faculty of imagination in the writer, which searches over all the memory for the species or ideas of those things which it designs to represent. Dryden.

   5. Show; visible exhibition.

   Shews and species serve best with the common people. Francis Bacon.

   6. Circulating money.

   As there was in the time of the greatest splendour of the Roman empire, a less quantity of current species in Europe than there is now, Rome possessed a much greater proportion of the circulating species of its time than any European city. John Arbuthnot, on Coins.

   7. Simples that have place in a compound.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Speciesnoun

   visible or sensible presentation; appearance; a sensible percept received by the imagination; an image

2. Speciesnoun

   a group of individuals agreeing in common attributes, and designated by a common name; a conception subordinated to another conception, called a genus, or generic conception, from which it differs in containing or comprehending more attributes, and extending to fewer individuals. Thus, man is a species, under animal as a genus; and man, in its turn, may be regarded as a genus with respect to European, American, or the like, as species

3. Speciesnoun

   in science, a more or less permanent group of existing things or beings, associated according to attributes, or properties determined by scientific observation

4. Speciesnoun

   a sort; a kind; a variety; as, a species of low cunning; a species of generosity; a species of cloth

5. Speciesnoun

   coin, or coined silver, gold, ot other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie

6. Speciesnoun

   a public spectacle or exhibition

7. Speciesnoun

   a component part of compound medicine; a simple

8. Speciesnoun

   an officinal mixture or compound powder of any kind; esp., one used for making an aromatic tea or tisane; a tea mixture

9. Speciesnoun

   the form or shape given to materials; fashion or shape; form; figure

10. Etymology: [L., a sight, outward appearance, shape, form, a particular sort, kind, or quality, a species. See Spice, n., and cf. Specie, Special.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Species

   In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, the difficulty of defining species is known as the species problem. Differing measures are often used, such as similarity of DNA, morphology, or ecological niche. Presence of specific locally adapted traits may further subdivide species into "infraspecific taxa" such as subspecies. Species hypothesized to have the same ancestors are placed in one genus, based on similarities. The similarity of species is judged based on comparison of physical attributes, especially their DNA sequences, where available. All species are given a two-part name, a "binomial name". The first part of a binomial name is the generic name, the genus of the species. The second part is either called the specific name or the specific epithet. For example, Boa constrictor is one of four species of the Boa genus. The first part of the name is capitalized, and the second part has a lower case. The binomial name is written in italics when printed and underlined when handwritten.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. species

   A specific kind or type.

   The primary species of plants were noted with their plant passports.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 25, 2020  

Entomology(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Species

   an aggregation of individuals alike in appearance and structure, mating freely and producing young that themselves mate freely and bear fertile offspring resembling each other and their parents: a species includes all its varieties and races.

Matched Categories

1. • Biology
   • Kind
   • Taxonomic Group

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1003

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3999

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Nouns Frequency: #471

How to pronounce species?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say species in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of species in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of species in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of species in a Sentence

1. Laure Segurel:

   A lot of primate species... also have the differences of being A, being B, being AB, whether it's a great ape or a new world monkey, it's quite intriguing that the differences have been found or maintained in so many different species.

2. José Ortega y Gasset:

   Under the species of Syndicalism and Fascism there appears for the first time in Europe a type of man who does not want to give reasons or to be right, but simply shows himself resolved to impose his opinions.

3. Global Wildlife Conservation:

   Guyana is one of the world’s most important countries for biodiversity conservation with the second highest percentage of forest cover on Earth, high levels of biological diversity and species that are found nowhere else, historically Guyana’s biodiversity was naturally protected due to low human population density and the fact that much of the country was inaccessible.

4. Cary Woodruff:

   Andrew Carnegie specifically is a nod to the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, andrew Carnegie funded many paleontological expeditions( many for sauropods in Utah), and Andrew Carnegie even has a species of Diplodocus named in Andrew Carnegie honor : Diplodocus carnegii. So naming our specimen Andrew Carnegie was a nod to Andrew Carnegie, and a nod to our calling Andrew Carnegie a Diplodocus.

5. Gregg Losinski:

   If you can't de-list the Yellowstone grizzly population, there is no other species in the world that can ever be de-listed.

Popularity rank by frequency of use