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taxonomy
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Taxonomy \Tax*on"o*my\ (t[a^]ks*[o^]n"[-o]*m[y^]), n. [Gr.
ta`xis an arrangement, order + no`mos a law.]
1. That division of the natural sciences which treats of the
classification of animals and plants, primarily by
consideration of their natural relationships with respect
to their structure or genetic origin; the laws or
principles of classification; systematics.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
2. A systematic arrangement of objects or concepts showing
the relations between them, especially one including a
hierarchical arrangement of types in which categories of
objects are classified as subtypes of more abstract
categories, starting from one or a small number of top
categories, and descending to more specific types through
an arbitrary number of levels. An ontology usually
contains a taxonomy as one of the important principles of
organization.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
