summum genus

English

Etymology

From Latin. Literally “highest genus”.

Noun

summum genus (plural summa genera)

1. (logic, semantics) The highest, most all-inclusive genus; the one that is not a species of any other genus.
   • 1827, John Huyshe, A Treatise on Logic, on The Basis of Aldrich‎:

     Summum genus, in its strictest sense, is that all-extensive term under which every object of whatever kind may be classed, and of every one of which it may be affirmatively predicated: the word which is generally used to denote such genus is substance, or, as some call it, being. ... ; thus by ornithologist, bird would be regarded as the summum genus under which he would arrange the different subdivisions of birds ...

Antonyms

• infima species