Skip to content
Vinony

taxidermy

noun

  1. preservation of deceased animals
L329083 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈtæksɪdɚmi/

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from French taxidermie, from Ancient Greek τάξις (táxis, “arrangement”, “order”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Analysable as taxi- + derm- + -y.

  1. The art of stuffing and mounting the skins of dead animals for exhibition in a lifelike state.

verb

Etymology: Borrowed from French taxidermie, from Ancient Greek τάξις (táxis, “arrangement”, “order”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Analysable as taxi- + derm- + -y.

  1. To stuff and mount the skin of a dead animal.

    “Today's taxidermying is a combination of field work, calipers and Rodin. The hunters who get the animals for the leading museums of natural science bring 'em back dead, but measured within an inch of their lives […]”

    “It is indeed true that in recent years the business of taxidermying cats and dogs for mourning owners has blossomed into some form of art, especially in the United States.”