genre
UK[ˈʒɒ̃.rə]US[ˈʒɑːn.rə]
n
A style or category of art, music, or literature.
n
A kind or type of something.
Etymology
The word 'genre' entered English from French in the late 18th century, carrying its meaning of a kind, sort, or style. The French term derived from Latin 'genus', meaning birth, race, stock, or kind. This Latin noun traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root ǵénh₁os, from the verb ǵenh₁-, meaning to beget or produce. The conceptual journey is elegant: from the fundamental act of procreation and giving birth, the word evolved in Latin to denote a class of things produced from a common origin, a concept which was refined in French to specify artistic categories before being adopted into English to classify creative works.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from French. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes within modern English spelling.
Examples
The novel is a classic example of the detective genre.
His music doesn't fit neatly into any single genre.
The film festival features movies across a wide range of genres.