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Common names (such as "red fox") are different across languages, whereas the scientific name does not change. In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same ...
It is helpful to be able to understand the source of scientific names. Although the Latin names do not always correspond to the current English common names, they are often related, and if their meanings are understood, they are easier to recall. The binomial name often reflects limited knowledge or hearsay about a species at the time it was named.
Such a name is called a binomial name (often shortened to just "binomial"), a binomen, binominal name, or a scientific name; more informally, it is also called a Latin name. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the system is also called binominal nomenclature , [ 1 ] with an "n" before the "al" in "binominal", which is ...
"Felis" alone is the genus name for the group that includes the domestic cat. Examples: Dinofelis ("terrible cat"); Eofelis ("dawn cat"); Pardofelis ("leopard cat")-form, -formes: Pronunciation: /foʊrm/, /foʊrms/. Origin: Latin: forma. Meaning: shape, form. Used for large groups of animals that share similar characteristics; also used in ...
This is a list of plants organized by their common names. However, the common names of plants often vary from region to region, which is why most plant encyclopedias refer to plants using their scientific names, in other words using binomials or "Latin" names.
An "authority" may be placed after a scientific name. [94] The authority is the name of the scientist or scientists who first validly published the name. [ 94 ] For example, in 1758, Linnaeus gave the Asian elephant the scientific name Elephas maximus , so the name is sometimes written as " Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758". [ 95 ]
A common name will successfully identify a chemical compound, given context. Without context, the name should indicate at least the chemical composition. To be more specific, the name may need to represent the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms.
homonym: names spelled identically, but, in some codes, names spelled similarly, as defined by the code senior homonym (zoology): the first legitimate use of the name which generally takes priority; junior homonym (zoology), later homonym (botany): a later and generally illegitimate use, though in some circumstances the later name is allowed to ...