nomenclature

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noun no·men·cla·ture \ ˈnō-mən-ˌklā-chər also nō-ˈmen-klə-ˌchu̇r , -ˈmeŋ- , -chər , -ˌtyu̇r , -ˌtu̇r \

Definition of nomenclature

1 :name, designation

… the changing nomenclature of her streets is even more baffling …
—Cornelia O. Skinner

2 :the act or process or an instance of naming

nomenclature … is at its simplest the task of assigning a name to each distinct species
—R. I. Smith

3 a :a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art

the nomenclature of inorganic chemistry

b :an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants

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nomenclatural

play \ˌnō-mən-ˈklāch-rəl, -ˈklā-chə-\ adjective

See nomenclature defined for English-language learners

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Examples of nomenclature in a Sentence

the nomenclatures of zoology and chemistry
the nomenclature, “tuxedo,” derives from the fact that the jacket first became popular in the resort area of Tuxedo Park, New York

Recent Examples of nomenclature from the Web

Salicylic is a beta hydroxy acid, some clinical nomenclature that refers to a deeply exfoliating compound that gets at the root of your pores.

— brennan kilbane, GQ, "How to Get Rid of Pimples Overnight," 15 July 2017
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is the organization that, among many other things, maintains the taxonomic nomenclature of the bird lists of the Americas.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Thayer’s gull vanishes from bird-watching lists," 13 July 2017
While in other Ford models the top-flight luxury versions wear similar Platinum nomenclature, this Titanium is the second-most-expensive Edge, short of the more powerful and expressive Edge Sport.

— tony markovich, Car and Driver, "2017 Ford Edge 3.5L V-6 AWD," 6 July 2017
Baseball hangs on to its National Pastime nomenclature.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Pat Riley must first top Danny Ainge for a chance to topple Lebron James," 1 July 2017
The ACA required that premium subsidies be linked to the price of a category of health insurance that was a kind of minimum standard for Obamacare and covered 70 percent of health costs on average — called a silver plan under Obamacare nomenclature.

— phil galewitz, Kaiser Health News, "‘Coverage Gap’ For Poor May End, But Many Will Still Have Trouble Affording Plans," 23 June 2017
Still, Grosso says the fight goes on, and a change in nomenclature could smooth the way.

— fenit nirappil, Washington Post, "Can a name change make DC seem more stately? Ask Governor Bowser," 20 June 2017
Paris was simply the city that hosted the talks after which, in the long tradition of diplomatic nomenclature, the agreement was named.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Trump's Paris speech needs a serious fact check," 2 June 2017
To Armenians, Americans of Armenian heritage and Turks, the facts — and especially the nomenclature — are deeply emotional issues.

— travis m. andrews, The Mercury News, "IMDb users gang up on Christian Bale’s new movie before it even opens," 19 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nomenclature.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Are nomenclature and Name Synonymous?

In his 1926 Dictionary of Modern English Usage, grammarian H. W. Fowler asserted that it was wrong to use nomenclature as a synonym for name; he declared that nomenclature could only mean "a system of naming or of names." It is true that nomenclature comes from the Latin nomenclatura, meaning "the assigning of names," but the name sense was the first to appear in English (it is documented as long ago as 1610), and it has been considered perfectly standard for centuries.

Origin and Etymology of nomenclature

Latin nomenclatura assigning of names, from nomen + calatus, past participle of calare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

nomenclature Synonyms

Synonyms

appellation, appellative, cognomen, compellation, denomination, denotation, designation, handle, moniker (also monicker), name, title

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, succulent, sylvan, xylem

NOMENCLATURE Defined for English Language Learners

nomenclature

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noun

Definition of nomenclature for English Language Learners

: a system of names for things especially in science

Medical Dictionary

nomenclature

noun no·men·cla·ture \ ˈnō-mən-ˌklā-chər also nō-ˈmen-klə-ˌchu̇(ə)r, -ˈmeŋ-, -klə-chər, -klə-ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r \

medical Definition of nomenclature

:a system of terms used in a particular science; especially :an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants — see binomial nomenclature

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