Meanings
plural taxidermies
- countableuncountableThe art of stuffing and mounting the skins of dead animals for exhibition in a lifelike state.
present singular third person taxidermies · participle present taxidermying · participle past taxidermied · past taxidermied
- transitiveTo stuff and mount the skin of a dead animal.
It is indeed true that in recent years the business of taxidermying cats and dogs for mourning owners has blossomed into some form of art, especially in the United States.
2012, Giovanni Aloi, Art and Animals2 more examples
Today's taxidermying is a combination of field work, calipers and Rodin. The hunters who get the animals for the leading museums of natural science bring 'em back dead, but measured within an inch of their lives […]
1945, The Saturday Evening Post, volume 218, page 26Even when mounted in the context of animal-centric conferences or events, exhibits of “animal art” routinely display works consisting of animal parts or taxidermied animals—most of which can be viewed while people are eating their politically correct vegan lunch.
2017, Linda Kalof, The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies, page 434
Origin
- Frenchtaxidermie
- Englishtaxidermy
Borrowed from French taxidermie, from Ancient Greek τάξις (táxis, “arrangement”, “order”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Analysable as taxi- + derm- + -y.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans opstopkuns
- opstopkunsart of stuffing dead animals
Bulgarian препариране
- препариране (preparirane)art of stuffing dead animals
Catalan taxidèrmia
- taxidèrmiaart of stuffing dead animals
Chinese Mandarin 動物標本剝制術 /动物标本剥制术, 剝製 /剥制
- 動物標本剝制術 /动物标本剥制术 (dòngwù biāoběn bōzhìshù)art of stuffing dead animals
- 剝製 /剥制 (bōzhì)art of stuffing dead animals
Czech preparace
- preparaceart of stuffing dead animals
Dutch taxidermie, opzetten van dieren
- taxidermieart of stuffing dead animals
- opzetten van dierenart of stuffing dead animals
Finnish eläinten täyttäminen
- eläinten täyttäminenart of stuffing dead animals
French taxidermie
- taxidermieart of stuffing dead animals
German Tierpräparation, Taxidermie
- Tierpräparationart of stuffing dead animals
- Taxidermieart of stuffing dead animals
- Ausstopfenart of stuffing dead animals
- Ausstopfungart of stuffing dead animals
Greek ταξιδερμία, ταξιδερμική
- ταξιδερμία (taxidermía)art of stuffing dead animals
- ταξιδερμική (taxidermikí)art of stuffing dead animals
Hebrew פִּחְלוּץ
- פִּחְלוּץ (piḥlutz)art of stuffing dead animals
Hungarian taxidermia
- taxidermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Italian tassidermia
- tassidermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Japanese 剥製術, 剥製
- 剥製術 (hakuseijutsu)art of stuffing dead animals
- 剥製 (hakusei)art of stuffing dead animals
Korean 박제
- 박제 (bakje)art of stuffing dead animals
Latin taxidermia
- taxidermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Malay taksidermi
- taksidermiart of stuffing dead animals
Polish taksydermia
- taksydermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Portuguese taxidermia
- taxidermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Romanian taxidermie, împăiere
- taxidermieart of stuffing dead animals
- împăiereart of stuffing dead animals
Russian таксидерми́я, наби́вка чу́чел
- таксидерми́я (taksidermíja)art of stuffing dead animals
- наби́вка чу́чел (nabívka čúčel)art of stuffing dead animals
Spanish taxidermia
- taxidermiaart of stuffing dead animals
Swedish uppstoppning
- uppstoppningart of stuffing dead animals
Tagalog palaayusang-balat
- palaayusang-balatart of stuffing dead animals
Tamil பாடம் செய்தல்
- பாடம் செய்தல் (pāṭam ceytal)art of stuffing dead animals
Turkish tahnit
- tahnitart of stuffing dead animals
Cite this entry
taxidermy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taxidermy
“taxidermy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taxidermy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taxidermy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taxidermy.
Source: taxidermy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.