scientific name

American

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

noun

plural

scientific names

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.

scientific name Scientific

/ sī′ən-tĭf′ĭk /

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.

Other Word Forms

scientific naming noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The frog was logged under specimen number KU 221832 and given the scientific name Dendrobates duellmani.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

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

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

Below each gay scrap of color was a scientific name in my grandfather’s careful copperplate script.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023