tax·on

[tak-son]
noun, plural tax·a [tak-suh] .
a taxonomic category, as a species or genus.

Origin:
1945–50; < Greek táx(is) taxis1 + -on neuter noun ending; see -on1

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Collins
World English Dictionary
taxon (ˈtæksɒn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl taxa
biology any taxonomic group or rank
 
[C20: back formation from taxonomy]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Taxon is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

taxon tax·on (tāk'sŏn')
n. pl. tax·a (tāk'sə)
A taxonomic category or group, such as a phylum, order, family, genus, or species.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
taxon   (tāk'sŏn')  Pronunciation Key 
Plural taxa
A taxonomic category or group, such as a phylum, order, family, genus, or species.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

taxon

any unit used in the science of biological classification, or taxonomy. Taxa are arranged in a hierarchy from kingdom to subspecies, a given taxon ordinarily including several taxa of lower rank. In the classification of protists, plants, and animals, certain taxonomic categories are universally recognized; in descending order, these are kingdom, phylum (in plants, division), class, order, family, genus, species, and subspecies, or race. Rules for naming the various taxa are the province of biological nomenclature (q.v.).

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Its generally preferable not to release the name of a taxon until it is published.
Within a taxon, there can be quite dramatic differences in brain volumes, suggesting that this is an evolutionarily labile trait.
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