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In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages.
The greatest innovation of Linnaeus, and still the most important aspect of this system, is the general use of binomial nomenclature, the combination of a genus name and a second term, which together uniquely identify each species of organism within a kingdom.
The second part of a binomial is often a person's name in the genitive case, ending -i (masculine) or -ae (feminine), such as Kaempfer's tody-tyrant, Hemitriccus kaempferi. The name may be converted into a Latinised form first, giving -ii and -iae instead. Words that are very similar to their English forms have been omitted.
The varied definitions either place taxonomy as a sub-area of systematics (definition 2), invert that relationship (definition 6), or appear to consider the two terms synonymous. There is some disagreement as to whether biological nomenclature is considered a part of taxonomy (definitions 1 and 2), or a part of systematics outside taxonomy.
A species has a name typically composed of two parts (a binomial name or binomen): generic name + specific name; for example Canis lupus. Sometimes the name of a subgenus (in parentheses) can be intercalated between the genus name and the specific epithet, which yields a trinomial name that should not be confused with that of a subspecies.
Carl Linnaeus [a] (23 May 1707 [note 1] – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné, [3] [b] was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms.
Although the system, now known as binomial nomenclature, was partially developed by the Bauhin brothers, Gaspard and Johann, [2] Linnaeus was the first to use it consistently throughout his book. The first edition was published in 1735.
In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. E.g. Panthera leo (lion) and Panthera onca (jaguar) are two species within the genus Panthera. Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists. The standards for ...