family Hippopotamidae

8.4

A group of large African animals like the common and pygmy hippo that live in water

noun
/ˈfæmɪli ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəˌmeɪdi/

Specialized

: familia Hippopotamidae

The family Hippopotamidae consists of two living species: the common hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus.

Examples

Unlike many other mammals, members of the family Hippopotamidae spend much of their lives in water.
Research has shown that the family Hippopotamidae shared a common ancestor with whales millions of years ago.
The family Hippopotamidae includes the common hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus.
Did you know that the family Hippopotamidae is native to Africa?
The family Hippopotamidae includes the common hippopotamus, which can weigh over 3,000 pounds.
Scientists classify the family Hippopotamidae as part of the order Cetartiodactyla, alongside whales.
Members of the family Hippopotamidae are characterized by their large size and semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Synonyms

Hippopotamidae

vsfamily Hippopotamidae

Specialized

1 9.9

A family of large mammals that mostly eat plants and live partly in water, including hippos

is the same group but named with an explicit family label

Surface Forms

family Hippopotamidae singular

families Hippopotamidae plural

Morphology

family + Hippopotamidae

The phrase is directly compositional: 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping and 'Hippopotamidae' is the taxon name for hippos, so together they indicate the taxonomic family containing hippopotamuses. This follows standard biological naming patterns found across languages, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Family Hippopotamidae comes from old Greek words hippos (horse) and potamos (river), so it literally means 'river horse'. That clear image of a big animal in water helps you remember that the name now means the 'group' of hippos, the large animals that spend much of their lives in water.