family Castoridae

8.2

Large rodents that live partly in water and build dams, like beavers, found in North America and Eurasia

noun
/ˈfæmɪli ˌkæstəˈraɪdi/

Specialized

: familia Castoridae

The family Castoridae comprises only two living species: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver.

Examples

Researchers studied the dam-building behavior unique to rodents in the family Castoridae.
In zoology, all members of the family Castoridae exhibit webbed hind feet and a broad, flat tail.
The family Castoridae includes the American beaver.
Did you know the family Castoridae is known for building dams?
In zoology, all members of the family Castoridae exhibit webbed hind feet and a broad, flat tail.
The family Castoridae comprises only two living species: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver.
Researchers studied the dam-building behavior unique to rodents in the family Castoridae.

Synonyms

Castoridae

vsfamily Castoridae

Specialized

9.9

A family of large rodents that live in water and includes beavers

is the same family but adds common name and native ranges

Surface Forms

family Castoridae singular

families Castoridae plural

Morphology

family + Castoridae

This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'family' (a scientific grouping) combined with the taxon name 'Castoridae' yields the meaning 'the family called Castoridae (beavers)'. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift—while 'Castoridae' is technical, if a learner knows both constituents the overall meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Family Castoridae comes from the old Latin word castor, meaning 'beaver', and the ending -idae, which marks a 'family' of animals in scientific names. Because beavers are large animals that live in and near water and build dams, the name points to that group of animals today.