classification

[klas-uh-fi-key-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of classifying.

2. the result of classifying or being classified. classify.

3. one of the groups or classes into which things may be or have been classified. classify.

4. Biology.,  the assignment of organisms to groups within a system of categories distinguished by structure, origin, etc. The usual series of categories is phylum (or, especially in botany,division ), class, order, family, genus, species, and variety.

5. the category, as restricted, confidential, secret, or top secret, to which information, a document, etc., is assigned, as by a government or military agency, based on the degree of protection considered necessary to safeguard it from unauthorized use.

6. Library Science.,  any of various systems for arranging books and other materials, especially according to subject or format.

classification

/ ˌklæsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. systematic placement in categories

2. one of the divisions in a system of classifying

3. biology

   1. the placing of animals and plants in a series of increasingly specialized groups because of similarities in structure, origin, molecular composition, etc, that indicate a common relationship. The major groups are domain or superkingdom, kingdom, phylum (in animals) or division (in plants), class, order, family, genus, and species

   2. the study of the principles and practice of this process; taxonomy

4. government the designation of an item of information as being secret and not available to people outside a restricted group

classification

1. The systematic grouping of organisms according to the structural or evolutionary relationships among them. Organisms are normally classified by observed similarities in their body and cell structure or by evolutionary relationships based on the analysis of sequences of their DNA.

2. See more at cladistics Linnean See Table at taxonomy

Other Word Forms

• classificatory adjective
• clasificatorily adverb
• classificational adjective
• misclassification noun
• nonclassification noun
• overclassification noun
• preclassification noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of classification¹

1780–90; < Latin classi ( s ) class + -fication

Word History and Origins

Origin of classification¹

C18: from French; see _class , _-ify , _-ation

Example Sentences

"These jellyfish are dangerous and perhaps a bit scary to some, but also beautiful creatures that are deserving of continued research and classification efforts," adds Ayane Totsu.

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In image processing, it successfully extracted edge features from visual data, creating paired "relief and engraving" maps that improved image classification and increased accuracy in tasks such as identifying organs in CT scans.

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Melissa strengthened to a Category 5 storm, the most powerful classification for hurricanes, Monday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The racial classifications aren’t based on objective facts but merely represent the opinions of survey respondents about their origins selected from a list offered by a government employee.

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That classification constitutes a key element of the violations of the Official Secrets Act of which the men were accused; without it there’s no crime to prosecute.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allocation 
• allotment 
• analysis 
• arrangement 
• coordination 
• designation 
• distribution 
• grade 
• regulation