Meaning & use
taxonomy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablebiologyspecialist
The science or system of naming and grouping living things by shared characteristics.
Grammar: Uncountable for the science; countable for a particular classification system: a taxonomy of insects.
Patterns
- biological taxonomy
- taxonomy of species
- revise taxonomy
In biology class we studied the taxonomy used to classify insects.
DNA evidence led scientists to revise the taxonomy of some birds.
A clear taxonomy helps researchers compare species.
nouncountable
Any organized system of categories used to classify information, skills, products, or ideas.
Grammar: Countable in this broader use: a taxonomy of learning goals. It is common in education and computing.
Patterns
- taxonomy of skills
- develop a taxonomy
- hierarchical taxonomy
The school created a taxonomy of reading skills from beginner to advanced.
The website uses a taxonomy of topics to organize thousands of articles.
A simple taxonomy of risks helped the team prioritize repairs.
Word forms
| plural | taxonomies |
|---|
Common combinations
- biological taxonomy
- Biological taxonomy places humans in the order Primates.
- hierarchical taxonomy
- A hierarchical taxonomy moves from broad classes to specific items.
- taxonomy of learning
- The taxonomy of learning distinguishes remembering from understanding.
- develop a taxonomy
- Librarians developed a taxonomy to catalog the archive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- classification
- The broader act or result of grouping; taxonomy suggests an ordered, principled system.
- nomenclature
- Only the naming system, not the grouping into categories.
- category system
- Plain phrase; taxonomy sounds more formal and structured.
- hierarchy
- A ranked order, which may be part of a taxonomy but is not the whole system.
Word family
- taxonomic adjective
- Relating to classification systems.
- taxonomically adverb
- In terms of classification.
- taxonomist noun
- A scientist who classifies organisms or other items.
- classify verb
- To place into categories; related but broader than taxonomy.
Commonly confused: taxonomy or taxidermy? taxonomy or taxon?
taxonomy vs taxidermy
Taxidermy is stuffing and mounting dead animals; taxonomy is classifying living things or ideas.
taxonomy vs taxon
A taxon is one named group within a taxonomy, not the whole system.
Practice
Which sentence uses taxonomy correctly?
Choose one answer.
Taxonomy classifies organisms into groups, so classifying a squirrel fits. Stuffing animals is taxidermy, recipes need seasoning, and taxonomy is not a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “taxonomy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.