plural taxa
ˈtak-sə 
also taxons
also taxons
1
: a scientifically classified group or entity : a taxonomic unit (such as a genus or order) of any rank
Like higher taxa, subspecies are also partly objective but partly based on human decision.—
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould… we know from the fossil record that this is a relict taxon … originating 13 million years ago …—Bernard Wood et al.
Bernard Wood et al.2
: the name applied to a taxonomic group in a formal system of nomenclature
The marine triclads are formally subsumed in the taxon Maricola …—Seth Tyler
Seth TylerExamples of taxon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the isolated nature of this fossil has prevented scientists from assigning it to a new taxon definitively.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
With its unique genetic fingerprint, the unknown Commiphora species most likely represented an extinct taxon once native to the region surrounding the Judean Desert, according to the study.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
Some organisms appear to go extinct only to reappear in the record millions of years later, what experts call a Lazarus taxon.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
But while well-recorded in the world today, with some 195 species in a single taxon of ant-mimics called the Myrmarachne, these spiders are not well represented in fossil finds.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
In a new study in Nature Communications, the researchers identify the likely cause: a type of bacterium called Bisgaard taxon 45.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
Again And Again To start this process, the study authors chose 19 common techniques for estimating an extinct animal’s mass and applied them to five separate species similar to the temnospondyls, though not members of the taxon themselves.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2022
The goal of this study was to develop a reliable method of electroejaculation in the rhinoceros by designing a rectal probe that appropriately fits the anatomy of this taxon and refining the procedure.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2011
In fact, according to a study in Palaeontology, the temnospondyls — a taxon of primitive amphibians that lived around 330 million to 120 million years ago and looked a lot like crocodiles — came in a variety of sizes.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2022
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
With its unique genetic fingerprint, the unknown Commiphora species most likely represented an extinct taxon once native to the region surrounding the Judean Desert, according to the study.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
Some organisms appear to go extinct only to reappear in the record millions of years later, what experts call a Lazarus taxon.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
But while well-recorded in the world today, with some 195 species in a single taxon of ant-mimics called the Myrmarachne, these spiders are not well represented in fossil finds.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
In a new study in Nature Communications, the researchers identify the likely cause: a type of bacterium called Bisgaard taxon 45.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
Again And Again To start this process, the study authors chose 19 common techniques for estimating an extinct animal’s mass and applied them to five separate species similar to the temnospondyls, though not members of the taxon themselves.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2022
The goal of this study was to develop a reliable method of electroejaculation in the rhinoceros by designing a rectal probe that appropriately fits the anatomy of this taxon and refining the procedure.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2011
In fact, according to a study in Palaeontology, the temnospondyls — a taxon of primitive amphibians that lived around 330 million to 120 million years ago and looked a lot like crocodiles — came in a variety of sizes.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Taxon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxon. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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