family Drosophilidae
- noun
- /ˈfæmɪli drɒsəˈfɪlɪdeɪ/
- Specialized
- The family Drosophilidae includes many species that are important in genetic research.
Examples
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Members of the family Drosophilidae are commonly known as fruit flies.
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Biologists often study the family Drosophilidae to understand evolution and genetics.
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The family Drosophilidae includes various species of fruit flies.
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Many researchers study the family Drosophilidae for genetic insights.
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Biologists often study the family Drosophilidae to understand evolution and genetics.
-
Members of the family Drosophilidae are commonly known as fruit flies.
-
The family Drosophilidae includes many species that are important in genetic research.
Synonyms
A family of small fruit flies often used in science
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally clear: 'family' as a scientific grouping combined with the taxonomic name 'Drosophilidae' yields the meaning 'the taxonomic family Drosophilidae (fruit flies)'. Taxonomic naming conventions are cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended biological family sense.
Etymology
Family Drosophilidae comes from the name Drosophila, which means 'dew-loving' because these tiny fruit flies like damp, sweet places such as rotting fruit. In biology, 'family' is a way to group related species, so family Drosophilidae means the group of those dew-loving fruit flies often used in studies of genes.