: a category in biological classification ranking below a genus and above a species

Examples of subgenus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But then there is the very specific subgenus of heartbreak that is untethered to a particular historical moment and has probably existed since the Neanderthals: the sheer, abject misery of being rejected by someone to whom you are still deeply attached. Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2022 SARS-CoV-2 is a member of a subgenus of the betacoronaviruses called the sarbecoviruses, named after their prototype member, SARS-CoV-1, which caused the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003. Stephan Lewandowsky, Scientific American, 16 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subgenus was in 1699

Dictionary Entries Near subgenus

Cite this Entry

“Subgenus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subgenus. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

: a category in biological classification ranking below a genus and above a species
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