noun

taxonomy

tak-SON-uh-mee

Taxonomy (noun) means a system for sorting things into named groups and levels, so that related items sit together and each has a defined place. Example: “The team built a taxonomy of customer complaints to spot recurring problems.”

noun

A system for sorting things into named groups and levels, so that related items sit together and each has a defined place.

"The team built a taxonomy of customer complaints to spot recurring problems."

"We are rewriting the site's taxonomy so products are easier to browse."

The branch of biology concerned with naming organisms and arranging them into ranked groups such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.

"DNA evidence has forced several revisions to the taxonomy of songbirds."

How to Use Taxonomy

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA system for sorting things into groups and sub-groups.

When to use it

Neutral-to-technical; now common in content design, information architecture and business as well as biology.

Memory tip

A taxonomist is a specialist who names and classifies; the adjective is taxonomic.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

ontology typology nomenclature → phylogeny

Common pairings

biological taxonomy develop a taxonomy content taxonomy taxonomy of species

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The team built a _____ of customer complaints to spot recurring problems.

Etymology

From Greek taxis "arrangement, order" and -nomia "method, law", coined in the nineteenth century for biological classification.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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classification categorisation hierarchy ontology schema systematics

Related Words

class category rating equality classification ladder designation hierarchy

Rhymes for taxonomy

roomy gloomy sodomy economy anatomy autonomy lobotomy dichotomy astronomy colostomy vasectomy phlebotomy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between taxonomy and ontology?

A taxonomy arranges things in a hierarchy of broader and narrower categories. An ontology goes further, defining many kinds of relationship between items — part of, causes, made from — not just parent and child.

What is the difference between taxonomy and classification?

Classification is the act of putting individual things into groups. Taxonomy is the study and design of the grouping system itself, including the rules and the names. Loosely, taxonomy is the map and classification is using it.

What are the levels of biological taxonomy?

The main ranks, from broadest to narrowest, are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Each organism is given a two-part scientific name from the last two, such as Homo sapiens.

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