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Glite Dictionary
family Canidae

family Canidae

1 5.2
A group of meat-eating animals like dogs, wolves, and foxes
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˈkeɪnɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Canidae
  • Biologists study the evolutionary history of the family Canidae to understand canine diversity.

Examples

  • The family Canidae includes both wild and domestic species such as wolves and dogs.

  • Foxes are a member of the family Canidae, sharing many traits with dogs.

  • The family Canidae includes many species of wild and domestic animals.

  • Did you know that the family Canidae has over 30 species?

  • The family Canidae includes various species such as dogs, wolves, and foxes, all known for their keen hunting skills.

  • In the wild, members of the family Canidae often hunt in packs to capture their prey.

  • Researchers study the family Canidae to understand their social behaviors and communication methods.

Synonyms

Canidae
vsfamily Canidae
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A family of meat-eating mammals like dogs, wolves, and foxes

uses a general descriptive phrase rather than the formal scientific name

Surface Forms

family Canidae singular
families Canidae plural

Morphology

family + Canidae

The phrase 'family Canidae' is directly compositional: 'family' (a taxonomic group) combined with the proper taxon name 'Canidae' yields the meaning 'the taxonomic family Canidae, which includes dogs, wolves, foxes, etc.' Taxonomic constructions of this sort are cross-linguistically regular and thus immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Family Canidae comes from the Latin word canis, which means 'dog'. It is the name scientists use for the group of dog-like animals such as wolves, foxes, jackals and domestic dogs, so the name shows they belong to the same 'dog' family.