Nomenclature is a formal word that refers to a system of names that is used in specialized fields and especially in science. Nomenclature is also used more broadly as a synonym of name and designation.

// It took Faith, a trained herpetologist, a while to become familiar with the nomenclature used at the entomology conference.

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“The junior leagues wanted to instill the same type of nomenclature and methods used at the high school varsity level and teach the same type of philosophies.” — Rodger Roeser, Cleveland.com, 25 Nov. 2024

Nomenclature has everything to do with names: it can refer to the act of naming, a name itself, and even a system of names—you name it! The term comes to English from the Latin word nōmenclātūra, which means “assigning of names to things.” One may marvel, for instance, at the nomenclature—that is, names—of towns in the United States, from Ninety-Six (South Carolina) to Frankenstein (Missouri). Or one may be required to learn the nomenclature—the system of naming—of a particular branch of science. If nomenclature reminds you of a term you heard in biology class, you know what we mean. Binomial nomenclature refers to a system of nomenclature in which each species of animal or plant receives a name of two terms, of which the first identifies the genus to which it belongs and the second the species itself. For example, the scientific name for humans according to this nomenclature is Homo sapiens.