Tegundina

Tegundina is the definite form of the Icelandic noun tegund, meaning type, kind, or variety. It is used when referring to a particular group within a broader category, equivalent to “the type” or “the variety” in English. The term appears in scientific writing, field guides, and everyday speech to denote a specific member of a classification.

In biology, tegund is the term commonly translated as species in English. Tegundina would be used when discussing a particular species within a genus that has already been introduced. For example, in a description of a genus with several species, one might refer to tegundina to distinguish the described species from others. The plural form tegundir corresponds to “types” or “species” in general.

Beyond biology, tegundina can describe any set of categories within a system—varieties of crops, breeds of animals, or varieties of products. The word is neutral and does not imply value; it simply marks a category boundary.

In Icelandic, tegund is part of a broader vocabulary for classification that also includes terms like tegund, gerð, and tegundir depending on context, with tegundina functioning as the definite form in grammatical constructions.

See also: tegund, tegundir, Icelandic language, taxonomy.