Binomial nomenclature
- Pronunciation
- /bi-nom-ee-al no-men-klay-ture/
- Category
- Taxonomy
- Singular
- Binomial nomenclature
- Plural
- Binomial nomenclatures
Definition
A system of naming organisms using two Latin words, where the first word is the genus and the second word is the species.
Etymology
From Latin 'bi-' meaning 'two', and 'nomenclatura' meaning 'naming'.
Example
The scientific name for the common housefly is *Musca domestica*, where *Musca* is the genus and *domestica* is the species.