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Glite Dictionary
family Casuaridae

family Casuaridae

9.9
A group of large birds that cannot fly, like cassowaries, found in Australia and New Guinea
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˌkæzjʊˈɛrɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Casuaridae
  • The family Casuaridae includes three species of cassowaries found in Australia and New Guinea.

Examples

  • The family Casuaridae includes some of the largest flightless birds.

  • Scientists study the evolutionary history of the family Casuaridae to understand flightlessness in birds.

  • Members of the family Casuaridae are known for their distinctive helmet-like casques.

  • Did you know the family Casuaridae consists of cassowaries?

  • The family Casuaridae is famous for its large size and flightless nature, characterized by unique features like their helmet-like casques.

  • Researchers are exploring the family Casuaridae to gain insights into the evolution of flightlessness among birds.

  • Among the birds in the family Casuaridae, cassowaries are particularly notable for their striking appearance and powerful legs.

Synonyms

Casuaridae
vsfamily Casuaridae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of large birds that cannot fly, like cassowaries and emus

emphasizes their ostrich like appearance rather than geographic range

Surface Forms

family Casuaridae singular
families Casuaridae plural

Morphology

family + Casuaridae

The phrase is fully compositional: 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping and 'Casuaridae' is the name of that taxon, so the meaning—the taxonomic family Casuaridae of large flightless birds—is directly derivable from the constituents. Taxonomic naming patterns are cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand this expression.

Etymology

Family Casuaridae comes from the bird name cassowary plus the family ending -idae, which is added to show a group of similar animals. So, family Casuaridae simply means the 'family' or group of cassowary birds.