nomina

Nomina is the Latin plural of nomen, meaning “names.” In scholarly usage, nomina is used to refer to names in general and, in some linguistic traditions, to the class of nouns. The term appears in discussions of Latin and other languages to designate word classes that denote things, persons, places, or ideas rather than actions or attributes.

In Latin grammar, nomen means “name,” and nomina can appear as a plural form in grammars that describe nouns as a distinct category. The root nomen also gives rise to related terms in many languages, such as nominal, nominative, and nomenclature, which reflect its ongoing influence on linguistic and scholarly terminology.

In biology and related fields, nomina refers to the scientific names assigned to taxa. The codes of nomenclature for plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria govern how nomina are established, corrected, conserved, or rejected to ensure stability and universality. Practitioners distinguish between the proper scientific name (nomen) and various types of informal or synonymous usage; procedures such as nomina conservanda (conserved names) and nomina rejicienda (rejected names) help manage priority and consistency across disciplines.

Overall, nomina functions as a bridge between language and science, encapsulating the idea of naming as a formal, rule-governed activity. The term highlights how names—whether for words, entities, or taxa—play a central role in communication, classification, and knowledge organization. See also nomen, nomenclature, and noun.