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taxon

 - 5 dictionary results

tax⋅on

  [tak-son]
Use taxon in a Sentence
–noun, plural tax⋅a  [tak-suh] .
a taxonomic category, as a species or genus.
Origin:
1945–50; < Gk táx(is) taxis 1 + -on neut. n. ending; see -on 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tax·on   (tāk'sŏn')   
n.   pl. tax·a (tāk'sə) Biology
A taxonomic category or group, such as a phylum, order, family, genus, or species.

[New Latin, back formation from taxonomy.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tax·on
Pronunciation: 'tak-"sän
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural taxa /-s&/ also tax·ons
1 : a taxonomic group or entity
2 : the name applied to a taxonomic group in a formal system of nomenclature
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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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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.).

Learn more about taxon with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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