taxonomy

noun

tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsä-nə-mē 

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

taxonomic

ˌtak-sə-ˈnä-mik 

adjective

or less commonly taxonomical

ˌtak-sə-ˈnä-mi-kəl 

taxonomically

ˌtak-sə-ˈnä-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

taxonomist

tak-ˈsä-nə-mist 

noun

Examples of taxonomy in a Sentence

the taxonomies of various plant groups

Recent Examples on the Web

Those that haven’t been identified through Western taxonomy end up falling through the net of conservation programs. —Helen Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Dr Britz’s research focuses on the morphology, comparative anatomy and taxonomy of fishes, particularly those occurring in Myanmar. —Grrlscientist, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

So, those of us who grew up on pantsuit memes and taxonomies of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s lace collars would like to know: What’s Haley up to here? —Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2024

He was known for his contribution to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi. —Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024

People who travel by sea know the varied taxonomy of lighthouses: octagonal towers, skeletal metal pyramids, squat houses set on screw-pile foundations. —Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023

The company overhauled its job taxonomy, creating fewer job categories, and reducing the total number of job codes from 70,000 titles to just 2,100, along with clear descriptions of the responsibilities, skills, and experiences needed for each title. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024

Kahraman—who became a refugee in Sweden at age 11 after she, along with her family, fled their home in Iraq in 1992, during the Gulf War—saw an obvious connection to the unjust taxonomies foisted upon humans, especially migrants and minorities. —Grace Edquist, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2024

Statistics and genomics found simple order where taxonomy didn’t see any. —Dan Samorodnitsky, Quanta Magazine, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French taxonomie, from Greek táxis "arrangement, order" + French -o- -o- + -nomie -nomy — more at taxis

Note: French taxonomie was a coinage of the Geneva-born botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778-1841), in Théorie élémentaire de la botanique (Paris, 1813). Candolle divided botany into three divisions (p. 19): "… elle se compose 1.^o de la Glossologie, c'est-à-dire, de la connaissance des termes par lesquels on designe les organes des plantes et leurs diverses modification; 2.^o de la Taxonomie [footnote: "Mot formé de ταξις ordre, et νόμος loi, règle."], ou de la Théorie des classifications appliquée au règne végétal; 3.^o de la Phytographie, ou de l'art de décrire les plantes de la manière la plus utile aux progrès de la science …" ("… it is composed of 1.^o Glossology, that is, the recognition of the terms by which the organs of plants are designated, and their various modifications; ; 2.^o Taxonomy [footnote: "Word formed from táxis order, and nómos law, rule."], or the theory of classifications applied to the vegetable kingdom; 3.^o Phytography, or the art of describing plants in the manner most suited to the progress of science"). A more correct compounding form in terms of Greek word formation would have been taxi- (as táxis is an i-stem), and taxinomy did in fact see some use in the 19th century—though Candolle's original coinage has predominated. His parallel introductions, glossology and phytography, have rarely been employed.

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing taxonomy

• numerical taxonomy

Kids Definition

taxonomy

noun

tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsän-ə-mē 

1

: the study of scientific classification

2

: classification sense 2a

especially : orderly classification of living things according to their presumed natural relationships

taxonomic

ˌtak-sə-ˈnäm-ik 

adjective

Medical Definition

taxonomy

noun

tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsän-ə-mē 

plural taxonomies

1

: the study of the general principles of scientific classification : systematics

2

: orderly classification of plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships