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.
Taxidermy boars from the same scene could not be put up for auction because they are “kind of hard to store,” said Monica Jacobs, a prop master for the show.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2024
Taxidermy conjures up images of mounted deer heads over fireplaces .
From Salon • Sep. 11, 2022
Taxidermy is her mourning ritual, an attempt to suspend her father, like one of his mounted deer, between life and death.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 21, 2019
Taxidermy has been part of modern art’s vocabulary for decades.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2018
Taxidermy, the art of preparing and preserving the skins of animals for exhibition in cabinets.
From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin
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.
