Genre, Gender and Genus All Mean Kind
A genre is a category of art. The word shares a root with gender, genus and general, all built on the idea of a type.
A genre is a category of artistic work with shared conventions. Latin *genus*, a kind or class, produced a striking spread of English words: *genre* through French, *genus* in biology, *gender* originally meaning simply a category, *general* meaning of all kinds, and *generic*. They all mean kind, sorted by which language they travelled through. In art history, *genre painting* means scenes of everyday life, a category rather than a style.
- A category of art. *The horror genre.*
- Genre painting — everyday scenes. *Dutch genre painting.*
- Genus — a biological rank. *The genus Panthera.*
- Generic — of a whole class. *A generic term.*
- Latin — *genus*, kind. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | genre | A new genre. |
| Plural | genres | Musical genres. |
| Related | genus | A genus. |
| Related | generic | Generic. |
| Latin | genus | Kind, class. |
- The film crosses several genres.Categories.
- Vermeer painted genre scenes.Art history.
- Genus means kind in Latin.Etymology.
The genus family
- Genre — a category of art, through French
- Genus — a rank in biological classification
- Gender — originally simply a category or class
- General — pertaining to a whole kind
- Generous — originally of noble birth, of good stock
French *genre*, a kind or sort, from Latin *genus*, birth, race or kind, from a root meaning to beget.
What is genre painting?
Painting that depicts scenes of ordinary daily life, as distinct from history, portrait or landscape painting.
Are genre and gender related?
Yes. Both come from Latin genus, a kind or class. Gender originally meant simply a category.