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subspecies

(abbreviation: subsp. or ssp.)
Definition of subspecies

noun (plural same)

Biology
  • a taxonomic category that ranks below species, usually a fairly permanent geographically isolated race. Subspecies are designated by a Latin trinomial, e.g. (in zoology) Ursus arctos horribilis or (in botany) Beta vulgaris crassa.

Derivatives

subspecific

Pronunciation: /-spəˈsɪfɪk/
adjective

subspecies in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of subspecies in the US English dictionary