scientific name

American  

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

noun

scientific names plural

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

Derived Forms

• scientific naming
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• scientific names
  plural

Example Sentences

The scientific name proposed for the new Nullarbor species is Bettongia haoucharae.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

She has given the new fish a scientific name with a personal twist: Harriota avia.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2024

The proposed scientific name for the resident northern population is Patagona chaski.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2024

Separate from WHO’s decision, ICTV’s poxvirus group had a vote on whether to change the scientific name for the virus that causes mpox.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

It’s not like the thing has a name tag, accompanied by a scientific name for its—his?—species.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer