Definition noun, plural: scientific names The binomial name assigned to a species of an organism Supplement The scientific name pertains to the binomial name given to a particular species. It is based on the system of binomial nomenclature used by a taxonomist when naming an organism at the species level. It is comprised of two parts: (1) the generic name or the genus name and (2) the species name or the specific epithet. It is also called a Latin name. That is because it is usually derived from a description based on Latin language. The Greek language is also used in deriving the scientific name of the species. The Latin and the Greek languages are the first language used by the first taxonomists, such as by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. He is considered as the father of taxonomy. Thus, there are many scientific names that are attributed to him. The scientific name is used to name an organism to avoid misunderstandings caused when using the common name of organisms. An example of a scientific name is Homo sapiens to refer to modern human beings. It is written in italics and in which the initial letter of the genus name is capitalized. Synonym(s):

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