taxidermy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of taxidermy
1810–20; taxi- + Greek dérm ( a ) skin ( see derma 1) + -y 3
Explanation
If you're a fan of taxidermy, you like real stuffed animals — animal skins specially prepared and mounted to look like they're alive. Some natural history museums are full of well-done taxidermy, real animals that have been mounted after death, treated to preserve them and posed to appear lifelike. The word taxidermy was first used in 1820, from the Greek words taxis, "arrangement," and derma, "skin." In other words, the slightly gruesome meaning of taxidermy is "an arrangement of skin."
Vocabulary lists containing taxidermy
Body Language: Derm ("Skin")
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Merci Suárez Changes Gears
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Frightful's Mountain
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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.
We could also call Wild Bill’s Western Store a winner, as Front Office Sports reported the taxidermy shop sold out of stuffed raccoons thanks to high demand following Haaland’s viral post.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Next to that, C.K.’s bit where he says he’s so old that his mother is dead is as soft as taxidermy stuffing.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Last year, Noah Aussems decided to close his Kips Bay sports bar Sucker Punch and partner with Chris Reda to renovate the space, importing wood from Kentucky and taxidermy from Indiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
"Given the chance, we can really see that independent business can thrive," he added, with "even a taxidermy shop" doing well in the arcade.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025
The Academy was a natural history museum full of dinosaur bones and taxidermy.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
