noun

species

SPEE-sheez

noun

A group of living things that can breed with one another and produce fertile offspring; the basic unit of biological classification.

"There are thousands of species of beetle."

"Scientists discovered a new species of frog in the rainforest."

A distinct type or kind of something more generally.

"It was a curious species of argument he was making."

How to Use Species

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA specific kind of living organism that can interbreed, or more loosely, any distinct type of something.

Common mistake

The word is both singular and plural — "one species," "many species," never "specie" (which means coined money) or "specieses."

Common pairings

endangered species a new species species of

species plural, specieses plural

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Can you complete this real example?

There are thousands of _____ of beetle.

From Latin species, "appearance, kind," from specio, "to look at" — the same root as "spectator" and "inspect."

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