taxonomy

noun

tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsä-nə-mē How to pronounce taxonomy (audio)
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 adjective
or less commonly taxonomical
taxonomically adverb
taxonomist noun

Examples of taxonomy in a Sentence

the taxonomies of various plant groups
Recent Examples on the Web 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 Numbers, taxonomies, images, and video already increasingly dominate meganet applications, a trend that the metaverse, with its emphasis on commerce and games, will only accelerate. WIRED, 22 Mar. 2023 There are also coastal brown bears, and they are named under the taxonomy Ursus arctos. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 13 Dec. 2023 Its goal is to coalesce the study of these stone walls into an interdisciplinary science by following the precedents of other disciplines – most notably, the 18th-century Linnaean taxonomy that biologists still use today. Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taxonomy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of taxonomy was circa 1828

Dictionary Entries Near taxonomy

Cite this Entry

“Taxonomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxonomy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

taxonomy

noun
tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsän-ə-mē How to pronounce taxonomy (audio)
1
: the study of scientific classification
2
: classification sense 2a
especially : orderly classification of living things according to their presumed natural relationships
taxonomic adjective

Medical Definition

taxonomy

noun
tax·​on·​o·​my tak-ˈsän-ə-mē How to pronounce taxonomy (audio)
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

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