taxidermy

noun

taxi·​der·​my ˈtak-sə-ˌdər-mē How to pronounce taxidermy (audio)
: the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates
taxidermic adjective
taxidermist noun

Examples of taxidermy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Walking in, you’re hit with that cozy, intimate vibe, like your cool friend’s living room — if your friend had exceptional taste in antique taxidermy and vintage cocktail posters. Brad Japhe, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 May 2024 That the mansion seems to come from a ‘30s-era Universal horror film, complete with suits of armor and numerous examples of frightening taxidermy, provides a clue that Abigail is going in a much different direction. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for taxidermy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taxidermy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French taxidermie, from Greek táxis "order, arrangement" + dérma "skin" + French -ie -y entry 2 — more at taxis, -derm

Note: Coinage of French taxidermie has been attributed in recent references (as, for example, A. Scheersoi and S.D. Tunicliffe, editors, Natural History Dioramas—Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes, Springer, 2019, p. 13) to the naturalist and taxidermist Louis Dufresne (1752-1832). Dufresne used the word in the title and text of an article in tome XXI of the Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle (Paris, An XI—1803): "taxidermie… des mots τάξις, ordre, arrangement, et δέρμα, peau" (p. 507; "taxidermy … from the words táxis, order, arrangement, and dérma, skin"). (Authorship of the article is attributed to Dufresne in a footnote by the dictionary's editor for ornithology, Louis Pierre Vieillot.) However, taxidermie appears three years earlier in a chapter of the Traité élémentaire et complet d'ornithologie by the zoologist François Marie Daudin (1776-1803), entitled "Sur l'art de taxidermie considéré par rapport aux Oiseaux; c'est-à-dire, sur l'art de dépouiller, de droguer, de conserver et de monter des Peaux des Oiseaux" (tome 1, Paris, 1800—An VIII, p. 439; "On the art of taxidermy considered in relationship to birds, or on the art of removing, treating, preserving and mounting the skins of birds"). Neither Daudin nor Dufresne give any indication that either was the originator of the word.

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taxidermy was in 1820

Dictionary Entries Near taxidermy

Cite this Entry

“Taxidermy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxidermy. Accessed 31 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

taxidermy

noun
taxi·​der·​my ˈtak-sə-ˌdər-mē How to pronounce taxidermy (audio)
: the skill or occupation of preparing, stuffing, and mounting skins of animals
taxidermic adjective
Etymology

derived from Greek taxis "arrangement" and Greek derma "skin" and English -y, noun suffix

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