tautonym

/ˈtɔtənɪm/

Other forms: tautonyms

A tautonym is an animal's scientific name which is composed of two identical words, like Bison bison, which is the way scientists refer to the American buffalo.

Botanists aren't allowed to name newly discovered species using tautonyms; they have to use two different words for the genus and specific epithet. Zoologists, on the other hand, have plenty of tautonyms in their repertoire, including Rattus rattus, the black rat, and Iguana iguana, the common green iguana. Tautonyms are coined using Latin or Greek words. The term tautonym itself is from Greek roots tauto, "the same" and -onym, "name."

Definitions of tautonym

1. noun

   a scientific name that is the same for the genus and species, as in "Alces alces" for "moose"