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Glite Dictionary
genus Elephas

genus Elephas

8.6
A group of animals that includes the Asian elephant and other extinct relatives
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛnəs ˈɛlɪfəs/
  • Specialized
: género Elephas
  • The genus Elephas includes both the Asian elephant and its extinct relatives.

Examples

  • The genus Elephas includes the modern Asian elephant and several extinct species.

  • Paleontologists discovered fossils belonging to the genus Elephas in the ancient riverbeds.

  • Modern zoology classifies the Asian elephant under the genus Elephas.

  • Did you know that the genus Elephas is part of the family Elephantidae?

  • Modern zoology classifies the Asian elephant under the genus Elephas.

  • The genus Elephas includes the modern Asian elephant and several extinct species.

  • Paleontologists discovered fossils belonging to the genus Elephas in the ancient riverbeds.

Synonyms

Elephas
vsgenus Elephas
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of elephants that includes the Asian elephant

is the family's type taxon used for naming the whole family

Surface Forms

genus Elephas singular
genera Elephas plural

Morphology

genus + Elephas

The phrase is fully compositional: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Elephas' is the taxonomic name, so together they denote the genus called Elephas (the group including Asian elephants). Taxonomic naming is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern, so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Genus Elephas comes from the old Greek word Elephas, meaning 'elephant', and from the Latin word genus, meaning a 'group' of related animals. So genus Elephas is the named group that includes the Asian elephant and its close extinct relatives.