Binomial System

The binomial system is a system of nomenclature for living organisms in which each name consists of two words meaning genus and species.

In the binomial system, each type of living organism has two words in its name:

1. The first word denotes the genus to which the species belongs. For example, “Canis” for wolves, “Felis” for cats.

2. The second word is a specific species within that genus. For example, “lupus” for the common wolf, “sylvestris” for the forest cat.

Thus, the full name of the species in the binomial system is Canis lupus or Felis silvestris.

This allows each species of organism to be uniquely identified using just two words.

The binomial system was introduced into scientific use by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century and has since been generally accepted in biological systematics. It replaced the previous cumbersome descriptive names and streamlined the classification of living organisms.