γένος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *génos. Cognate with Latin genus, Sanskrit जनस् (jánas), Old Armenian ծին (cin), among others; see also γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be born”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡé.nos/ → /ˈʝe.nos/ → /ˈʝe.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡé.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.nos/

Noun

γένος • (génos) n (genitive γένεος or γένους); third declension

1. race, stock, kin
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.354:

     ἀμφοτέροισιν ὁμὸν γένος ἠδ᾽ ἴα πάτρη

   1. direct descent, as opposed to collateral relationship
      • 4th century BC, Isaeus, Ciron 33:

        γένος γὰρ ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ συγγένεια τοῦτ᾽ ἐστίν

2. offspring, descendant
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.180:

     ἣ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔην θεῖον γένος οὐδ᾽ ἀνθρώπων

   1. (collective) offspring, posterity
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.126.11:

        ἐκεῖνοί τε ἐκαλοῦντο καὶ τὸ γένος τὸ ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνων

3. (in general) race of beings
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 12.23:

     ἡμιθέων γένος ἀνδρῶν

     hēmithéōn génos andrôn

   1. family, clan, house
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.35.1:

        Φρὺξ μὲν γενεῇ, γένεος δὲ τοῦ βασιληΐου

        Phrùx mèn geneêi, géneos dè toû basilēḯou

   2. tribe, nation, race, as a subdivision of ἔθνος (éthnos)
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.56.1
   3. caste
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.164.1:

        ἔστι δὲ Αἰγυπτίων ἑπτὰ γένεα

        ésti dè Aiguptíōn heptà génea

        The Egyptians are divided into seven classes

   4. breed of animals
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.29
4. age, generation, time of life
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 3.215:

     γένει ὕστερος

     génei hústeros

5. sex, gender
   • 385 BCE – 380 BCE, Plato, Symposium 189d
   1. (grammar) grammatical gender
6. class, sort, kind
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cynegeticus 3.1:

     Τὰ δὲ γένη τῶν κυνῶν διττά

     Tà dè génē tôn kunôn dittá

     The hounds used are of two kinds

   1. (logic) the opposite of εἶδος (eîdos, “species”)
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Metaphysics 1059β.36:

        τὰ γένη δ᾽ εἰς εἴδη πλείω καὶ διαφέροντα διαιρεῖται

   2. (taxonomy) class
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 1.6.490b.7
      1. (taxonomy) genus
         • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 1.1.487b.17:

           τὸ τῶν καρκίνων γένος

           tò tôn karkínōn génos

      2. species of plant; crop, produce; material
         • 371 BCE – 287 BCE, Theophrastus, Enquiry into Plants 4.8.13
         • PTeb. 66.43:

           ἄλλοις γένεσι τοῖς πρὸς πυρὸν διοικουμένοις

           állois génesi toîs pròs puròn dioikouménois

   3. element
      • 360 BCE, Plato, Timaeus 54b

Declension

Third declension of τὸ γένος; τοῦ γένους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ γένος tò génos	τὼ γένει tṑ génei	τᾰ̀ γένη tà génē
Genitive	τοῦ γένους toû génous	τοῖν γενοῖν toîn genoîn	τῶν γενῶν tôn genôn
Dative	τῷ γένει tôi génei	τοῖν γενοῖν toîn genoîn	τοῖς γένεσῐ / γένεσῐν toîs génesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ γένος tò génos	τὼ γένει tṑ génei	τᾰ̀ γένη tà génē
Vocative	γένος génos	γένει génei	γένη génē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of γένος; γένεος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	γένος génos	γένει / γένεε génei / génee	γένεᾰ génea
Genitive	γένεος / γένευς géneos / géneus	γενέοιν genéoin	γενέων genéōn
Dative	γένει / γένεῐ̈ génei / géneï	γενέοιν genéoin	γένεσῐ / γένεσῐν génesi(n)
Accusative	γένος génos	γένει / γένεε génei / génee	γένεᾰ génea
Vocative	γένος génos	γένει / γένεε génei / génee	γένεᾰ génea
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Third declension of τὸ γένος; τοῦ γένεος (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ γένος tò génos	τὼ γένει / γένεε tṑ génei / génee	τᾰ̀ γένεᾰ tà génea
Genitive	τοῦ γένεος / γένευς toû géneos / géneus	τοῖν γενέοιν toîn genéoin	τῶν γενέων tôn genéōn
Dative	τῷ γένει / γένεῐ̈ tôi génei / géneï	τοῖν γενέοιν toîn genéoin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν γένεσῐ / γένεσῐν toîsi(n) génesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ γένος tò génos	τὼ γένει / γένεε tṑ génei / génee	τᾰ̀ γένεᾰ tà génea
Vocative	γένος génos	γένει / γένεε génei / génee	γένεᾰ génea
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Related terms

• γενεά (geneá)
• γένεσις (génesis)
• -γενής (-genḗs)
• γέννα (génna)
• γίγνομαι (gígnomai)
• γόνος (gónos)

 

Descendants

• → Aramaic: גניסא, גנסא
• Greek: γένος (génos)

References

• “γένος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γένος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• γένος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γένος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• Bauer lexicon
• G1085 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γένος (génos). Also see γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I am born”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʝenos/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: γέ‧νος

Noun

γένος • (génos) n (plural γένη)

1. family
2. nation
3. (taxonomy, biology) genus
4. (grammar) gender (masculine, feminine, etc)
5. maiden name, née

   Η Ελένη Παπαδοπούλου, το γένος Μενεγάκη.

   I Eléni Papadopoúlou, to génos Menegáki.

   Eleni Papadopoulou née Menegaki.

Declension

Declension of γένος

	singular	plural
nominative	γένος (génos)	γένη (géni)
genitive	γένους (génous)	γενών (genón)
accusative	γένος (génos)	γένη (géni)
vocative	γένος (génos)	γένη (géni)

Coordinate terms

Taxonomic divisions

• επικράτεια f (epikráteia, “domain”)
• ομοταξία f (omotaxía, “class”)
• γένος n (génos, “genus”)
• βασίλειο n (vasíleio, “kingdom”)
• τάξη f (táxi, “order”)
• είδος n (eídos, “species”)
• συνομοταξία f (synomotaxía, “phylum”)
• οικογένεια f (oikogéneia, “family”)
• υποείδος n (ypoeídos, “subspecies”)

Related terms

• -γενής (-genís)
• γενεά f (geneá, “generation”)
• γενεαλογία f (genealogía, “genealogy”)
• γένεση f (génesi, “birth, beginning”)
• γενέσθαι (genésthai)
• γενεσιουργός (genesiourgós)
• γενετικός (genetikós, “genetic”)
• γενιά f (geniá, “generation”)
• γόνος m (gónos, “offspring”)

and see

• γέννα f (génna, “birth”)
• γεννάω (gennáo, “I give birth”)
• γέννηση f (génnisi, “birth”)
• γίνομαι (gínomai, “Ι become”)

Further reading

• Γένος (βιολογία) on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el