Rassen

Rassen are the plural form of the German noun Rasse, which generally means race, breed, or variety. In German, Rasse can refer to biologically defined groups within a species, or more loosely to populations sharing inherited characteristics. In everyday language it is often associated with human groups, while in biology it is used for breeds of animals and varieties of plants.

The term derives from the French race, with earlier German uses dating from the 18th or 19th century, when racial classifications became common in natural history and anthropology. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Rassenkunde or Rassenforschung described systematic attempts to categorize human populations according to supposed inherited traits. These ideas contributed to racist ideologies and policies; since mid-20th century, the scientific consensus has rejected the notion of discrete biological human races, emphasizing continuous genetic variation and social factors.

In biology and agriculture, Rassen remains a standard term for groups within a species that differ in certain traits, such as dog or cattle breeds and crop varieties. In such contexts the term is descriptive and neutral.

In modern scholarly and public discourse about humans, however, the term is often avoided, with alternatives like Bevölkerung, Population, ethnische Gruppe, or Ethnie preferred to avoid implying fixed biological boundaries.