duckweed family
- noun
- /ˈdʌkˌwid ˈfæmɪli/
- Specialized
:
familia de las lentejas de agua
- In many ponds, members of the duckweed family create a green carpet on still waters.
Examples
-
Duckweed family plants float on the water's surface, providing shade for fish below.
-
The minute size of plants in the duckweed family (Lemnaceae) facilitates the dispersal of whole individuals.
Academic text (1996) -
Gardening enthusiasts often use the duckweed family to enhance the biodiversity of their water features.
Synonyms
A group of small plants that float on fresh water and have no stems or leaves
How Small
- Specialized
4
8.2
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'duckweed' names the small aquatic plant and 'family' denotes a group or taxonomic category, so 'duckweed family' naturally means the family of duckweeds. This noun + family pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Duckweed family comes from the tiny plant duckweed, a word built from duck and weed. These small green 'weeds' float on ponds and were often eaten by ducks, so the name now means the whole 'family' or group of these tiny floating water plants.