taxonomy

American  

[tak-son-uh-mee] / tækˈsɒn ə mi /

noun

plural

taxonomies

1. the science or technique of classification.

2. a classification into ordered categories.

   a proposed taxonomy of educational objectives.

3. Biology. the science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.

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taxonomy British  

/ tækˈsɒnəmɪ, ˌtæksəˈnɒmɪk /

noun

1. 1. the branch of biology concerned with the classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure, origin, etc

   2. the practice of arranging organisms in this way

2. the science or practice of classification

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taxonomy Scientific  

/ tăk-sŏn′ə-mē /

1. 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.

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taxonomy Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• nontaxonomic adjective
• nontaxonomical adjective
• nontaxonomically adverb
• taxonomer noun
• taxonomic adjective
• taxonomical adjective
• taxonomically adverb
• taxonomist noun

Etymology

Origin of taxonomy

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

Explanation

Taxonomy is all about organizing and classifying. To make it sound more scientific, you could refer to your project of reorganizing your spice rack according to smell as a taxonomy of spices. Taxonomy is a word used mainly in biology to talk about classifying living organisms, organizing them according to their similarities. If you've ever seen a chart with animals divided into species, genus, and family, you know what scientific taxonomy is. The word comes very straightforwardly from Greek words for "arrangement" — taxis — and "method" — nomia. So any special method for arranging or organizing things can be called taxonomy.

Example Sentences

“We need to work out a clear taxonomy and stick within our lanes when it comes to enforcement,” said Selig.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

In “If I Go,” Thompson-Hernández scraps the three-act structure for something more novelistic, a risk that a lesser director might have fumbled but one he turns into a profound taxonomy on grace.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

Their work appears in the open-access journal Evolutionary Systematics, which frequently publishes new findings in taxonomy and evolutionary biology.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2025

"Our shared vision is making taxonomy faster, more efficient, more accessible and more visible," the team said in their paper.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

Let me perform a quick taxonomy of our locker room.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• allocation
• allotment
• analysis
• arrangement
• coordination
• designation
• distribution
• grade
• regulation