Scientific names are used to describe various species of organisms in a way that is universal so that scientists around the globe can readily identify the same animal. Greek and Latin were used because they were the main languages spoken. When Latin and Greek were being established as a form of nomenclature, Europe was the center of political, economic, and more importantly scientific power. Words are given new slang meanings every few years. I gather that it is because the Greeks, and then also the Romans, were the first to work systematically on the sciences. Unanswered Questions. Another reason is that many plants and animals have common names that differ by region. For example, didonai is the Greek verb ‘to give,’ from which English gets antidote, something given against a toxin, to counteract its effects, from anti Greek, against + dotos Greek, given. Mango: it is ... originally came from Greek, so some names would also make sense in Greek. During the Enlightenment, people studied again the ancient works and used this as a background to go further in science and art. International scientific vocabulary (ISV) comprises scientific and specialized words whose language of origin may or may not be certain, but which are in current use in several modern languages (that is, translingually).The name "International Scientific Vocabulary" was first used by Philip Gove in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1961). For almost two thousand years, up to the end of the seventeenth century, … If you research the scientific name of any living organism, you will see the English translation. This is called binomial nomenclature, and many of the scientific names are derived from the Latin name of the organism. Why do scientists use Latin and Greek terms to create names for newly discovered organisms? Only recently has it been written in spoken languages like English. So, they chose these languages also because of their similarities with their own languages. After the Roman empire spread through Western Europe, Latin was established as a common language spoken widely among the population and an essential language of governance and politics. Why is it important to use greek or latin words for scientific names? We use latin names so scientists that speak different languages can understand what they are talking about. This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help … Many, many words in English, Italian, French (to name a few) were derived from Greek and/or Latin. Only recently has it been written in English and modern langurages. Why Latin? How community needs impact on career choices. Why scientific names of animals & plants are made difficult to ... Why scientific names of animals & plants are made difficult to spell & remember? As noted by Crystal, science is an especially productive … Throughout history of science, all scientific literature was written in Latin. This implies the huge impact of ancient Greeks and Romans in the European civilisation. Binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binominal nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages.Such a name is called a binomial name (which may be … The rules of zoological nomenclature are complex. Scientific names include Greek words and roots, too, and occasionally people's names and words from other languages -- or Latinized versions of them. I think it is Latin. Yes, scientific study began in Europe. Besides some English words also trace back to Greek. Also, the scientists were of Greek origin; Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Aristarchus, Socrates, all of them were Greek. 1. 2. There is an entire book called the "International Code of Zoological Nomenclature." Your best bet is to use a search engine, because you will probably only find lists that are limited in some way, either to … Throughout most of the history of Western science, all scientific literature was written in Latin. Latin provided a base language which all scientists, botanists and doctors could understand. Scientific names are from Greek and Latin words. See, we could never use English for scientific terms because it is "alive" and constantly changing. Also, another reason is that Latin being a "dead" language the terms can never change. Most names in Taxonomy and many other scientific names are Latin. Scientific names may be taken from either Latin or Greek, but Greek names are supposed to be Latinized when necessary to make the name endings consistent.