scientific name

American  

[sahy-uhn-tif-ik naym] / ˈsaɪ ənˌtɪf ɪk ˈneɪm /

noun

plural

scientific names

1. the name used by scientists for a particular organism, consisting of the genus name followed by the species name, conventionally in italics and with the genus name spelled with a capital letter, the species name with a lower-case letter; taxonomic name, binomial nomenclature.

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scientific name Scientific  

/ sī′ən-tĭf′ĭk /

1. A name used by scientists, especially the taxonomic name of an organism that consists of the genus and species. Scientific names usually come from Latin or Greek. An example is Homo sapiens, the scientific name for humans.

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Other Word Forms

• scientific naming noun

Example Sentences

The scientific name M. pucpuggy honors the Seminole-Creek people of Florida, whose chief gave William Bartram the name "Puc Puggy," meaning "Flower Hunter."

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

Ferreiraella populi has now been described and given a scientific name only two years after its discovery.

From Science Daily • Feb. 7, 2026

The greater flamingo, or Phoenicopterus roseus to use its scientific name, is listed as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2025

The scientific name can diverge from the common name of the virus or the disease.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

The scientific name for the “corn” that was cultivated in the Americas is Zea mays.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz