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Glite Dictionary
genus Procyon

genus Procyon

9.5
A group of mammals that includes raccoons
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒiːnəs proʊˈsiːɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Procyon
  • The genus Procyon includes the common raccoon found across North America.

Examples

  • Researchers discovered a new species within the genus Procyon in Central America.

  • The genus Procyon includes raccoons and their relatives.

  • In zoology class, we studied the characteristics that define the genus Procyon.

  • Did you know that the genus Procyon is found in North America?

  • In zoology class, we studied the characteristics that define the genus Procyon.

  • Researchers discovered a new species within the genus Procyon in Central America.

  • The genus Procyon includes the common raccoon found across North America.

Synonyms

Procyon
vsgenus Procyon
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of mammals like raccoons with skillful front paws

is expressed with the full taxonomic phrase rather than only the short name

Surface Forms

genus Procyon singular
genera Procyon plural

Morphology

genus + Procyon

This is a compositional taxonomic noun phrase: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Procyon' is the specific taxon. A learner who knows both constituents can directly infer it refers to the taxonomic group containing raccoons, and taxonomic naming conventions are cross-linguistically familiar.

Etymology

Genus Procyon: The scientific name genus Procyon comes from the Greek parts pro ('before') and cyon ('dog'), a name first used for the star Procyon because it rose before the 'dog' star. Scientists later used Procyon for raccoons, perhaps because they look a little like small dogs, so today genus Procyon means the group of raccoon species.