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Glite Dictionary
genus Piper

genus Piper

9.1
A group of tropical climbing plants like the black pepper plant
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒiːnəs ˈpaɪpər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Piper
  • The black pepper is classified under the genus Piper, which includes several other aromatic plants.

Examples

  • One rich center of such interactions is a small tree in the genus Piper, one of the tropical ant plants.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The genus Piper encompasses various species, many of which are used in traditional medicine.

  • Botanists study the characteristics of the genus Piper to understand the diversity of the Piperaceae family.

Synonyms

Piper
vsgenus Piper
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A group of climbing plants from warm countries that include black pepper plants

is the main or chief genus in that plant family rather than a simple label

Surface Forms

genus Piper singular
genera Piper plural

Morphology

genus + Piper

The phrase is a straightforward taxonomic label: 'genus' (a biological rank) combined with the name 'Piper' denotes the genus called Piper. This compositional, naming pattern is standard in scientific language and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the meaning.

Etymology

Genus Piper comes from the old word Piper, which meant 'pepper'. Traders long ago used that word for the familiar spice and many pepper plants, and later scientists used it to name the whole group, so today genus Piper means the group of pepper plants.