Definition of TAXONOMY (original) (raw)

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

: classification

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

taxonomic

adjective

or less commonly taxonomical

Examples of taxonomy in a Sentence

the taxonomies of various plant groups

Recent Examples on the Web

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Have a clear data strategy that encompasses elements of how organizational data is managed—including master data, data classification, taxonomy and metadata, needs around synthetic data, and data security. —Sandeep Sakharkar, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 Enlivened by an impressive array of loans, the exhibition sets into relief Orphism’s specific aesthetic achievements as well as its amorphous taxonomy. —Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Be proactive in brainstorming the type of model and taxonomy that’s relevant to your business. —Ron Zamir, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024 There are 10 past firefly species that are only known from fossils, said Dr. Oliver Keller, a research museum collection specialist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who has studied the systematics and taxonomy of fireflies. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for taxonomy

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 12 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on taxonomy

Last Updated: 31 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences

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