Definition of TAXIDERMY

Examples of taxidermy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Every taxidermy piece needs a little love every now and then. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Stuffed animals, fish need care to preserve condition," 25 Apr. 2020 And yes, Brandon Maxwell had creepy-but-cool taxidermy and Bella Hadid (who also came back from Tom Ford). — Amanda Randone, refinery29.com, "What Happened To NYFW?," 18 Feb. 2020 My taxidermy course materials instructed that flushing them with gasoline would expel the velvet’s blood. — New York Times, "‘The Adventurer’s Son,’ by Roman Dial: An Excerpt," 18 Feb. 2020 The all-in cost of an elephant hunt typically involves several hundred dollars a day for the professional hunters who accompany the tourists, as well as accommodation and taxidermy fees. — Time, "Botswana Set to Auction First Elephant Hunting Licenses After Lifting Ban," 5 Feb. 2020 Similar to the hospitality group's other bars, Camp Bar and Campsite 131, the bar will be full of taxidermy and give up north cabin vibes. — Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Camp Bar owners plan to take over Trio on Old World Third St. with a new bar and event space," 10 Oct. 2019 Salmon River Brewing is a sleek new downtown operation, long-standing McCall Brewing is pub-like, and taxidermy adorns the minimalistic tap room at Broken Horn Brewing. — Liza Weisstuch, Washington Post, "If you’re a celeb hunter, Idaho’s Sun Valley might appeal. But in McCall, nature is the star.," 12 Feb. 2020 Art pieces on consignment, signed celebrity prints, toys, specimens — think zebra tongues floating in jars — and vintage taxidermy round out the offerings. — al, "Alabama native’s murder museum includes Charles Manson’s hair," 12 Feb. 2020 On Their Own The Milkweed Inn is all Pendleton blankets, deer taxidermy and wood smoke. — Kim Severson, New York Times, "After Culinary and Literary Acclaim, She’s Moving to the Woods," 21 Jan. 2020

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

History and Etymology for taxidermy

borrowed from French taxidermie, from Greek táxis "order, arrangement" + dérma "skin" + French -ie -y entry 2 — more at taxis, -derm

Note: Coinage of French taxidermie has been attributed in recent references (as, for example, A. Scheersoi and S.D. Tunicliffe, editors, Natural History Dioramas—Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes, Springer, 2019, p. 13) to the naturalist and taxidermist Louis Dufresne (1752-1832). Dufresne used the word in the title and text of an article in tome XXI of the Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle (Paris, An XI—1803): "taxidermie…des mots τάξις, ordre, arrangement, et δέρμα, peau" (p. 507; "taxidermy…from the words táxis, order, arrangement, and dérma, skin"). (Authorship of the article is attributed to Dufresne in a footnote by the dictionary's editor for ornithology, Louis Pierre Vieillot.) However, taxidermie appears three years earlier in a chapter of the Traité élémentaire et complet d'ornithologie by the zoologist François Marie Daudin (1776-1803), entitled "Sur l'art de taxidermie considéré par rapport aux Oiseaux; c'est-à-dire, sur l'art de dépouiller, de droguer, de conserver et de monter des Peaux des Oiseaux" (tome 1, Paris, 1800—An VIII, p. 439; "On the art of taxidermy considered in relationship to birds, or on the art of removing, treating, preserving and mounting the skins of birds"). Neither Daudin nor Dufresne give any indication that either was the originator of the word.

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