cinsi

Cinsi is a word used in Turkish and other Turkic languages that centers on classification by kind, type, breed, or category. It derives from the noun cins, which denotes a general notion of kind or species, with cinsi serving as an inflected form that can function as an adjective or a noun in different contexts. In modern Turkish, cinsiyet is the standard term for gender, while cinsi is typically encountered in more specialized, formal, or historical usages to signify “of that kind/breed” or to refer to a particular classification.

In practical usage, cinsi often appears in contexts related to classification of animals, plants, or objects by type. For example, it can be used in phrases indicating a specific breed or variety, such as those found in zoological or agricultural writing. The sense “type” or “kind” is also encountered in literary or archaic expressions where cinsi can modify a noun to convey the notion of belonging to a particular category. In everyday modern Turkish, however, cinsi is less common in ordinary speech and is frequently replaced by more precise terms such as tür (type) or cins (breed/kind) depending on the context.

Cross-linguistically, cinsi appears with similar meanings in Azerbaijani and other Turkic languages, where the base concept of kind or breed is retained. In these languages, as in Turkish, more specific terms like cinsiyet (gender) or tür (species/type) are used to express related ideas, while cinsi may appear in more technical or literary contexts.

See also: cins, cinsiyet, tür, ırk.