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Taxon

/TAK-son/ (plural: TAK-suh)
🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate

Any named group of organisms in the biological classification system, regardless of rank. A single species, a genus, a family, an order, a class, or a phylum are all taxa (plural). The term is used when referring to a biological group without specifying its rank. In botanical nomenclature, taxa at different ranks follow specific naming conventions — for example, family names end in -aceae.

Etymology

Greek taxis (arrangement, order)

Example

Rosaceae is a taxon at the family rank that includes roses, apples, cherries, and strawberries.