![]() Sometimes a genus name or specific descriptor is simply the Latin or Greek name for the animal (e.g. For instance Pan troglodytes, the chimpanzee, and Troglodytes troglodytes, the wren, are not necessarily cave-dwellers. The binomial name often reflects limited knowledge or hearsay about a species at the time it was named. ![]() 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. It is helpful to be able to understand the source of scientific names. At the time when biologist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) published the books that are now accepted as the starting point of binomial nomenclature, Latin was used in Western Europe as the common language of science, and scientific names were in Latin or Greek: Linnaeus continued this practice.Īlthough Latin is now largely unused except by classical scholars, or for certain purposes in botany, medicine and the Roman Catholic Church, it can still be found in scientific names. ![]() ![]() The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants is largely derived from Latin and Greek words, as are some of the names used for higher taxa, such as orders and above. This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms.
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