trivial name
Americannoun
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the common name used in everyday language to refer to an organism or to a chemical element or compound, such as dog for Canis familiaris or vinegar for acetic acid.
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Biology. specific epithet.
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A common or vernacular name as distinguished from a scientific name, as chimpanzee for Pan troglodytes.
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A common, historic, or convenient name for a substance. The trivial name is often derived from the source in which the substance was discovered. It is not systematic and is not used in modern official nomenclature. Sucrose is the trivial name for β - D -fructofuranosyl- α - D -glucopyranoside.
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Compare chemical name
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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.
Speaking on his first visit to Wales since his appointment, he said he had been in the post ten days and would not submit to "trivial" name tests.
From BBC • Oct. 2, 2015
The trivial name of Dix would be the instrument wherewith the deliverance of Emmy from the House of Bondage should be effected.
From Septimus by Locke, William John
They derive their trivial name from the habit of uttering a note, which somewhat resembles the piping of a quail, and which can be heard at a very great distance.
From Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found A Book of Zoology for Boys by Harvey, William
A leaf, having its foot-stalk inserted into the disk or middle part of it, or near it, is called by Linnæus, peltatum, hence the Latin trivial name of this plant.
From The Botanical Magazine, Vol. 1 Or, Flower-Garden Displayed by Curtis, William
Hence the trivial name by which this species is known to the hunters.
From The Hunters' Feast Conversations Around the Camp Fire by Reid, Mayne
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.
