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taxonomy

 [tak-son-uh-mee]   Origin

tax·on·o·my

   [tak-son-uh-mee]
noun, plural tax·on·o·mies.
1.
the science or technique of classification.
2.
a classification into ordered categories: a proposed taxonomy of educational objectives.
3.
Biology. the science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.
Origin:
1805–15; French taxonomie. See taxo-, -nomy

Related forms
tax·o·nom·ic  [tak-suh-nom-ik] , tax·o·nom·i·cal, adjective
tax·o·nom·i·cal·ly, adverb
tax·on·o·mist, tax·on·o·mer, noun
non·tax·o·nom·ic, adjective
non·tax·o·nom·i·cal, adjective
EXPAND
non·tax·o·nom·i·cal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Taxonomy is always a great word to know.
So is adaptation. Does it mean:
reproduction in which the offspring resemble the parents and undergo the same cycle of development
any alteration in the structure of an organism resulting from natural selection, by which the organism becomes more able to survive in its environment
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Collins
World English Dictionary
taxonomy (tækˈsɒnəmɪ)
 
—n
1.  a.  the branch of biology concerned with the classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure, origin, etc
 b.  the practice of arranging organisms in this way
2.  the science or practice of classification
 
[C19: from French taxonomie, from Greek taxis order + -nomy]
 
taxonomic
 
—adj
 
taxo'nomical
 
—adj
 
taxo'nomically
 
—adv
 
tax'onomist
 
—n
 
tax'onomer
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

taxonomy
1828, from Fr. taxonomie (1813), introduced by Linnæus and coined irregularly from Gk. taxis "arrangement" (see taxidermy) + -nomia "method," from -nomos "managing," from nemein "manage" (see numismatics).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

taxonomy tax·on·o·my (tāk-sŏn'ə-mē)
n.

  1. The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships.

  2. The science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
taxonomy   (tāk-sŏn'ə-mē)  Pronunciation Key 


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The scientific classification of organisms into specially named groups based either on shared characteristics or on evolutionary relationships as inferred from the fossil record or established by genetic analysis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
taxonomy [(tak-son-uh-mee)]

The classification of living things. (See Linnean classification.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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