species
SPEE-sheez
/ˈspiː.ʃiːz/
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.
The fundamental unit of biological classification; 'species' is both singular and plural in spelling.
The story behind the word. In Latin, 'species' meant 'appearance, form, or visual aspect', stemming from 'specere' (to look at). Logical thinkers in medieval scholasticism used 'species' to categorize items with shared visual forms, which John Ray and Carl Linnaeus later adapted into biological classification.
Word relationships
- type: Type is informal and general; species is a precise scientific classification based on genetics and interbreeding.
Commonly confused with
- genus: Genus is a broader biological classification category that contains one or more related species.
Collocations
- endangered species
- native species
- invasive species
- new species
Example sentences
- "Biologists have identified a new species of tree frog deep within the Amazon basin." Taxonomy
- "When a single species vanishes from an ecosystem, the entire food web can suffer unpredictable collapse." Conservation biology
Memory hook
SPECIES allows you to SPECIFY an exact kind of creature you Inspect with your eyes (specere). Specere (look at) = distinct outward form.
When not to use
Never write 'specie' when referring to a single biological organism ('specie' refers to coin money).
Fun facts
- Scientists estimate that over 80 percent of terrestrial and marine species on Earth remain undiscovered!
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