domestica

Domestica is a Latin adjective meaning “domesticated” or “of the household.” In biological nomenclature, it appears as a specific epithet or subspecific epithet in the Linnaean system to indicate a relationship to domestication, human habitation, or traits associated with human environments. The ending of the epithet follows gender agreement with the genus: domestica for feminine genera, domesticus for masculine genera, and domesticum for neuter genera.

As an epithet, domestica has been used in the scientific names of various organisms across plants and animals. Its use reflects historical naming practices and does not by itself define a taxon as truly domesticated. Rather, it often signals origin, habitat, or perceived resemblance to domestic forms described by taxonomists at the time of naming. Because genus names vary in grammatical gender, the form of the epithet changes accordingly, illustrating how Latin grammar influences taxonomic labels.

In practice, domestica should be read within the broader rules of zoological and botanical nomenclature, including agreement with the gender of the genus and alignment with the appropriate code governing naming conventions. The term is distinct from the process of domestication itself, which describes the historical and evolutionary process by which wild species come to be managed and integrated into human economies and ecosystems.

Etymology: from Latin domus meaning home, combined with the common adjectival suffix -tica. See also Domestication and Latin grammar in taxonomic naming.