a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other
Over a hundred species of insect are found in this area.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
species
noun (plural species)
a group of animals or plants that are the same and can breed (= make new animals or plants) together:
a rare species of frog
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
species
spe‧cies W2 /ˈspiːʃiːz/ BrE AmE noun (plural species) [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: 'appearance, kind', from specere 'to look (at)']
a group of animals or plants whose members are similar and can breed together to produce young animals or plants ⇨ genus:
Seven species of birds of prey have been observed.
pandas and other endangered species (=ones that may soon no longer exist)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + species
▪ endangered (=used about a species of which there are very few still alive, so that it may soon not exist) The park is a sanctuary for 41 endangered species.
▪ protected Elephants are a protected species in Indonesia.
▪ rare The area contains many rare species of plants.
▪ common Here you will see most of the common species of African wildlife.
▪ extinct (=no longer existing) About a hundred species are becoming extinct every day.
▪ new (=not known about before, or not existing before ) A new species of spider has been discovered in a field in Cambridgeshire.
▪ native (=having always been in a particular country) Desert broom is a species native to Arizona.
▪ bird/animal/plant species You can see many different bird species on the canal.
■ verbs
▪ a species is found somewhere This species is found only in the Southern Hemisphere.
▪ a species lives somewhere (=used about animals) Many rainforest species cannot live anywhere else.
▪ a species grows somewhere (=used about plants) The species grows wild in Europe.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
species
spe·cies [ˈspiːʃiːz] [ˈspiːʃiːz] noun (pl. spe·cies)
a group into which animals, plants, etc. that are able to breed with each other and produce healthy young are divided, smaller than a genus and identified by a Latin name
• a rare species of beetle
• There are many species of dog(s).
• a conservation area for endangered species
Word Origin:
[species] late Middle English: from Latin, literally appearance, form, beauty, from specere ‘to look’.
Example Bank:
• Similar species of fish occur in Mongolia.
• The area is rich in different plant species.
• a native species of fish
• closely related species of beetle
• the development of the human species
• the threat posed by non-native invasive species
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
species / ˈspiː.ʃiːz / noun [ C ] ( plural species )
B2 a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other:
Mountain gorillas are an endangered species.
Over a hundred species of insect are found in this area.
figurative humorous Women film directors in Hollywood are a rare species.
→ See also subspecies
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
species
[spi͟ːʃiz]
♦♦♦
N-COUNT
(species is both the singular and the plural form.)
A species is a class of plants or animals whose members have the same main characteristics and are able to breed with each other.
Pandas are an endangered species...
There are several thousand species of trees here.
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
species
spe·cies /ˈspiːʃiz/ noun, pl species [count]
1 biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus
• There are approximately 8,000 species of ants.
• All European domestic cattle belong to the same species.
• laws that protect endangered/threatened species
- see also subspecies
2 : a particular group of things or people that belong together or have some shared quality
• the different species [=kinds, types] of criminals