plural taxa
ˈtak-sə 
also taxons
also taxons
1
: a scientifically classified group or entity : a taxonomic unit (such as a genus or order) of any rank
Like higher taxa, subspecies are also partly objective but partly based on human decision.—
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould… we know from the fossil record that this is a relict taxon … originating 13 million years ago …—Bernard Wood et al.
Bernard Wood et al.2
: the name applied to a taxonomic group in a formal system of nomenclature
The marine triclads are formally subsumed in the taxon Maricola …—Seth Tyler
Seth TylerExamples of taxon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the isolated nature of this fossil has prevented scientists from assigning it to a new taxon definitively.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
With its unique genetic fingerprint, the unknown Commiphora species most likely represented an extinct taxon once native to the region surrounding the Judean Desert, according to the study.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
Some organisms appear to go extinct only to reappear in the record millions of years later, what experts call a Lazarus taxon.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
But while well-recorded in the world today, with some 195 species in a single taxon of ant-mimics called the Myrmarachne, these spiders are not well represented in fossil finds.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
With its unique genetic fingerprint, the unknown Commiphora species most likely represented an extinct taxon once native to the region surrounding the Judean Desert, according to the study.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
Some organisms appear to go extinct only to reappear in the record millions of years later, what experts call a Lazarus taxon.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
But while well-recorded in the world today, with some 195 species in a single taxon of ant-mimics called the Myrmarachne, these spiders are not well represented in fossil finds.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Taxon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxon. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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