Full Idea
The five commonly enumerated universals are: genus, species, difference, property and accident.
Gist of Idea
Five universals: genus, species, difference, property, accident
Source
René Descartes (Principles of Philosophy [1646], I.59)
Book Reference
Descartes,René: 'Philosophical Essays and Correspondence', ed/tr. Ariew,Roger [Hackett 2000], p.246
A Reaction
Interestingly, this seems to be Descartes passing on his medieval Aristotelian inheritance, in which things are defined by placing them in a class, and then noting what distinguishes them within that class.