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

The project also demonstrated how effective coordinated taxonomy workshops can be, offering a faster and more collaborative approach to species discovery.

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

“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

Plainly, what’s needed is a taxonomy of AI slop: which manifestations are merely nuisances, which are actually entertaining, which are threats to social or political order.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

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

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