Main Entry: tax·on·o·my

Pronunciation: \tak-ˈsä-nə-mē\

Function: noun

Etymology: French taxonomie, from tax- + -nomie -nomy

Date: circa 1828

1 : the study of the general principles of scientific classification : systematics
2 : classification; especially : orderly classification of plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships

— tax·o·nom·ic \ˌtak-sə-ˈnä-mik\ also tax·o·nom·i·cal \-mi-kəl\ adjective

— tax·o·nom·i·cal·ly \-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— tax·on·o·mist \tak-ˈsä-nə-mist\ noun