What’s the difference between an ontology and a taxonomy?

Originally answered Jan 13, 2018

Ontology example:

Taxonomy example:

According to Bob Bater, “an ontology identifies and distinguishes concepts and their relationships; it describes content and relationships. A taxonomy formalizes the hierarchical relationships among concepts and specifies the term to be used to refer to each; it prescribes structure and terminology.”

According to Patrick Lambe in Defining “Taxonomy”:

1. A taxonomy is a form of classification scheme
2. Taxonomies are semantic
3. A taxonomy is a kind of knowledge map

See also:

• Taxonomies vs. Ontologies by Heather Hedden
• Ontology and Domain Modelling by Conrad Taylor
• What is the Difference between Taxonomy and Ontology? It is a Matter of Complexity by Chantal Schweizer
• Classification Process and Taxonomy