What does nomenclature mean?
Word: Nomenclature
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nomenclature means a system of names used in a particular subject, especially in science.
How do you spell nomenclature?
Syllables: no - men - cla - ture
Tricky part: The last part is what catches students: they hear 'cher' and write nomenclacher. It closes with ture, as nature does.
Watch out for: nomenclacher, nomenclatuer
Memory tip: Scientists give a name to everything in the natural world, so link the two: the names of nature.
Nomenclature in a sentence
Example 1: Every new medical student has to master the nomenclature of the human skeleton.
Example 2: Sailors have a nomenclature of their own for each rope on a ship.
Example 3: The nomenclature of clouds was set out more than two hundred years ago.
Fun Fact
Each named species has a two-part scientific name, a method set out by Carl Linnaeus in the 1750s and known as binomial nomenclature. The tiger, for instance, is Panthera tigris.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
n_m_nclature
a) o, e
b) o, i
c) a, e
d) o, a
Show answer
a) o, e. Think of the Latin nomen, a name, and the first two syllables fall into place.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Birdwatchers soon pick up the eutmcnlanoer of feathers, wing shapes and calls.
a) nomenclature
b) temperature
c) manufacture
d) nominations
Show answer
a) nomenclature. These twelve letters give the word for a set of names, and no other choice uses them all.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word nomenclature as used in the sentence:
The nomenclature of chemistry can seem strange until you learn how the names are built.
a) experiment
b) curriculum
c) terminology
d) laboratory
Show answer
c) terminology. The sentence is about special names, and that is what terminology means.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. bureacracy 2. ambiguous 3. rendezvous 4. nomenclature
a) the agreed naming scheme of a subject
b) a system with many officials and rules
c) a meeting at an agreed time and place
d) having more than one possible meaning
Show answer
b) a system with many officials and rules. Bureaucracy needs the vowels eau, so that is the misspelt word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do scientists across the world agree on one nomenclature?
a) so that students have fewer tests to write
b) so that a name means the same everywhere
c) so that new discoveries are kept private
d) so that books can be printed more cheaply
Show answer
b) so that a name means the same everywhere
2. Which list belongs to the nomenclature of cricket?
a) Delhi, Mumbai and Pune
b) Monday, Tuesday and Friday
c) gully, silly point and long-on
d) red, amber and green
Show answer
c) gully, silly point and long-on
