tegundirnar

Tegundirnar is the definite plural form of the Icelandic noun tegund, which denotes a kind, type, or category. The word is used in everyday language as well as in scientific contexts to refer to the different kinds within a set, or to a specific group of those kinds.

In biology, tegund is commonly translated as "species" and serves as the basic unit of classification. Tegundirnar can be used to refer to all species within a defined group, or to a particular subset of species, depending on the context. Beyond biology, tegund is used more broadly to describe any kind or category within a system, such as types of data, materials, or phenomena. The exact meaning therefore depends on the domain and the accompanying terms.

The term’s form reflects Icelandic inflection, with tegundirnar functioning as the definite plural of tegund. This construction allows speakers to specify “the kinds” or “the species” as a defined set within discourse. The word is standard in Icelandic dictionaries and appears across educational, scientific, and formal texts.

See also: tegund (singular), flokkur, flokkun.