Nanus

Nanus is a Latin adjective meaning “dwarf” or “small.” In biological nomenclature, nanus is commonly used as a specific epithet in species names to indicate a relatively small size or a dwarfed form. It is not itself a taxon; rather, it appears within binomial (or trinomial) names. The epithet agrees in gender with the genus: nanus for masculine, nana for feminine, and nanum for neuter.

Usage is widespread across animals and plants and is applied to individuals, populations, or varieties that are smaller than related taxa. It often signals a dwarf subspecies or diminutive form in birds, amphibians, insects, and flowering plants. In horticulture and botany, dwarf cultivars may carry nanus in their scientific or cultivar designation to indicate reduced stature relative to typical forms.

Relation to related terms: Nanus is a traditional Latin descriptor and should be distinguished from modern prefixes such as nano- or nanos that denote extremely small scale in contemporary science. It is not a standalone taxonomic group unless a specific genus is formally established with that name; in ordinary usage, it remains a size-related epithet within accepted taxonomic names.

See also: Latin binomial nomenclature, taxonomic epithet, and nanos (as a separate, prefix-based concept in modern science).