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Glite Dictionary
Cardiidae

Cardiidae

9.9
A group of small sea animals with two shells, like cockles, that burrow in sand
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Cardiidae
  • Many Cardiidae can be found buried in sandy beaches.

Examples

  • Many members of the Cardiidae family are valued as a food source in various cultures.

  • The Cardiidae are distributed worldwide, especially in sandy coastal regions.

  • Biologists studied the burrowing behavior of several Cardiidae species.

  • The Cardiidae family includes various species of cockles.

  • Biologists studied the burrowing behavior of several Cardiidae species.

  • Many members of the Cardiidae family are valued as a food source in various cultures.

  • The Cardiidae are distributed worldwide, especially in sandy coastal regions.

Surface Forms

Cardiidae singular
Cardiidaes plural

Morphology

Cardiidae = cardio (opaque) = cardi + idae

Formed with the scientific family suffix '-idae' and the combining form 'cardi-' which is not a standalone English morpheme, so learners cannot derive 'family of bivalve mollusks' from knowing common English roots.

Etymology

Cardiidae comes from the Greek word kardia meaning 'heart', and you can see the same root in English words like cardio and cardiac. These clams often have heart-shaped shells, so the name refers to their shape, and the ending -idae shows it is a family name in biology.