taxonomy

[ tak-son-uh-mee ]

/ tækˈsɒn ə mi /

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See synonyms for taxonomy on Thesaurus.com

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

First recorded in 1805–15, taxonomy is from the French word taxonomie.See taxo-, -nomy

OTHER WORDS FROM taxonomy

tax·o·nom·ic

[tak-suh-nom-ik], /ˌtæk səˈnɒm ɪk/, tax·o·nom·i·cal, adjectivetax·o·nom·i·cal·ly, adverbtax·on·o·mist, tax·on·o·mer, nounnon·tax·o·nom·ic, adjective

non·tax·o·nom·i·cal, adjectivenon·tax·o·nom·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby taxonomy

tax loss, taxman, taxo-, Taxol, taxon, taxonomy, taxpaid, taxpayer, tax rate, tax relief, tax return

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use taxonomy in a sentence

As new information, particularly genetic information, has come in, scientists have realized that some groupings had been based on superficial similarities and have revised the taxonomy accordingly.
Debate over Pluto’s planet status still carries on|Erin Wayman|August 22, 2021|Science News
Deals have been struck to make Magnite’s identity solution part of the taxonomy task force for the Prebid ad tech industry organization alongside the IAB Tech Lab’s Addressability working group.
‘They will need to use multiple routes’: Shifts appear in the publisher-SSP union, as alternative identifiers proliferate|Seb Joseph|July 22, 2021|Digiday
Lastly, the campaign performance of rigid and limited taxonomies like this is not meeting the industry’s expectations, McKee concluded.
Google’s delayed cookie cull is an inevitable intermission to its fractious pursuit of privacy protections|Seb Joseph|June 25, 2021|Digiday
Contextual targeting for cross-device video faces a lot of the same problems that contextual faces in other digital markets, including the lack of an agreed-upon taxonomy for content.
‘Building that ecosystem’: Contextual advertising begins to sprout in CTV, OTT ad markets|Max Willens|May 27, 2021|Digiday

This is a word used in taxonomy for a group of closely related species.
Scientists Say: Genus|Bethany Brookshire|May 10, 2021|Science News For Students
A better taxonomy would break us up by words like Acceptance, Partial Denial, and Total Denial.
Extreme Weather? Blame the End Times|Jay Michaelson|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Taxonomy was another major area in which Aristotle influenced the history of science.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beyond this taxonomy of options, the big question is this: What outcome are we seeking with any military intervention?
The Best Military Option for Libya|Michael O'Hanlon|March 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In order to make some sense of these questions, I undertook a Taxonomy of American Ignorance and Misperceptions.
Ignorant America|Tunku Varadarajan|August 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This instinctive taxonomy becomes more surprising still if we consider the variety of the game stored in a single burrow.
More Hunting Wasps|J. Henri Fabre
Taxonomy and distribution of the horned lizards genus Phrynosoma.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico|William E. Duellman
Work on the taxonomy and anatomy of marine animals was in general in full swing by the 'fifties and 'sixties.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
As a mere question of taxonomy his theory would have been regarded by the lay world as harmless and uninteresting.
Major Prophets of To-Day|Edwin E. Slosson
The taxonomy of some of the more important families of seed plants is discussed in a special section.
The Popular Science Monthly, June, 1900|Various

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, noun

Word Origin for taxonomy

C19: from French taxonomie, from Greek taxis order + -nomy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Cultural definitions for taxonomy

taxonomy

[ (tak-son-uh-mee) ]

The classification of living things. (See Linnean classification.)

taxonomy

Origin of taxonomy

OTHER WORDS FROM taxonomy

Words nearby taxonomy

Words related to taxonomy

How to use taxonomy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for taxonomy

Derived forms of taxonomy

Word Origin for taxonomy

Scientific definitions for taxonomy

Cultural definitions for taxonomy