genus Pyrus

8.5

A group of trees and shrubs that produce pear fruit

noun
/ˈdʒɛnəs ˈpaɪrəs/

Specialized

: género Pyrus

The genus Pyrus includes many species of pears.

Examples

The genus Pyrus includes several species that are widely cultivated for their fruit.
Did you know that genus Pyrus has over 30 species?
Botanists classify the European pear as Pyrus communis within the genus Pyrus.
Many ornamental varieties in the genus Pyrus are valued for their beautiful blossoms.
Botanists classify the European pear as Pyrus communis within the genus Pyrus.
Many ornamental varieties in the genus Pyrus are valued for their beautiful blossoms.
The genus Pyrus includes several species that are widely cultivated for their fruit.

Synonyms

Pyrus

vsgenus Pyrus

Specialized

9.1

A group of fruit trees that includes pear trees

is native specifically to Europe and Asia rather than the whole Old World

Surface Forms

genus Pyrus singular

genera Pyrus plural

Morphology

genus + Pyrus

This phrase is fully compositional: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Pyrus' is the taxon name for pears, so a learner who knows both words will understand it refers to the taxonomic group of pear trees. The construction 'genus + name' is a standard, literal scientific pattern (and exists cross-linguistically), so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Genus Pyrus comes from Latin: Pyrus is the old Latin word for the 'pear' and genus means a 'group' of related types. So the name simply shows a 'group of pear' trees, which is why it now means the group of pear species.