taxo-comb. form

Stress is usually determined by a subsequent element and vowels may be reduced accordingly.
Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: taxonomy n.
Etymology: < taxo- (in taxonomy n.). The word taxonomy shows an irregular formation (in French, by de Candolle) < ancient Greek τάξις arrangement (see taxis n.); the combining form in Greek is ταξι- (in e.g. ταξίαρχος taxiarch n.). Compare taxology n., which reflects what is probably a parallel formation (again in French).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2021).