binomial nomenclature

American  

noun

Zoology, Botany.

1. a system of nomenclature in which each species is given a unique name that consists of a generic and a specific term.

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binomial nomenclature British  

noun

1. a system for naming plants and animals by means of two Latin names: the first indicating the genus and the second the species to which the organism belongs, as in Panthera leo (the lion)

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binomial nomenclature Scientific  

1. The scientific system of naming an organism using two terms, the first being the genus and the second the species. The terms are usually Greek or Latin. For example, the scientific name of the narrow-leaf firethorn is Pyracantha angustifolia, where the genus is Greek for “fire thorn” and the species is Latin for “having narrow leaves.”

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Etymology

Origin of binomial nomenclature

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

They played key roles in scientific achievements such as Carl Linnaeus's development of binomial nomenclature and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

From Scientific American • May 31, 2023

Many credit taxonomist Carl Linnaeus for biology’s binomial nomenclature, but few mention the Bauhin brothers, Gaspard and Johann.

From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2022

In binomial nomenclature, each species is assigned a two-part scientific name, which is written in italics.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

In the 1730s, Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus developed a naming system called binomial nomenclature, which is used today.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

This seems perfectly simple and natural now, but to understand how great a reform the binomial nomenclature introduced we have but to consult the work of Linnaeus's predecessors.

From A History of Science — Volume 2 by Williams, Henry Smith