taxonomy
[ tak-son-uh-mee ]
/ tækˈsɒn ə mi /
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noun, plural tax·on·o·mies.
the science or technique of classification.
a classification into ordered categories: a proposed taxonomy of educational objectives.
Biology. the science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.
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Origin of taxonomy
OTHER WORDS FROM taxonomy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use taxonomy in a sentence
Crawforth claims that his subject was unmatched as a taxonomist, and that his self-effacing style elevated his writing.
Taxol′ogy, the science of classification; Taxon′omer, a taxonomist.
British Dictionary definitions for taxonomy
taxonomy
/ (tækˈsɒnəmɪ) /
noun
- the branch of biology concerned with the classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure, origin, etc
- the practice of arranging organisms in this way
the science or practice of classification
Derived forms of taxonomy
taxonomic (ˌtæksəˈnɒmɪk) or taxonomical, adjectivetaxonomically, adverbtaxonomist or taxonomer, nounWord Origin for taxonomy
C19: from French taxonomie, from Greek taxis order + -nomy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for taxonomy
taxonomy
[ tăk-sŏn′ə-mē ]
The scientific classification of organisms into specially named groups based either on shared characteristics or on evolutionary relationships as inferred from the fossil record or established by genetic analysis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for taxonomy
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.