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Glite Dictionary
family Hyaenidae

family Hyaenidae

8.3
A group of animals that includes hyenas, medium-sized meat-eating mammals from Africa and Asia
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli haɪˈeɪnɪdi/
  • Specialized
: familia Hyaenidae
  • The family Hyaenidae consists of medium-sized carnivorous mammals primarily found in Africa and Asia.

Examples

  • The family Hyaenidae includes species like the spotted hyena.

  • The family Hyaenidae is characterized by powerful jaws and a unique social structure.

  • All modern hyenas are members of the family Hyaenidae in the order Carnivora.

  • Researchers discovered a new fossil belonging to the family Hyaenidae in the region.

  • Did you know that the family Hyaenidae is known for its unique social structure?

  • All modern hyenas are members of the family Hyaenidae, which is known for their unique social behavior.

  • Researchers discovered a new fossil belonging to the family Hyaenidae, shedding light on the evolution of hyenas.

Synonyms

Hyaenidae
vsfamily Hyaenidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of meat-eating mammals like hyenas that live in Africa and Asia

is the same meaning but adds a general class word before the scientific name

Surface Forms

family Hyaenidae singular
families Hyaenidae plural

Morphology

family + Hyaenidae

This is a literal, compositional taxonomic label: 'family' (a biological grouping) combined with the taxon name 'Hyaenidae' yields the meaning 'the biological family comprising hyenas.' Scientific naming conventions like 'family + taxon name' are cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Family Hyaenidae is a scientific name where Hyaenidae comes from an old Greek word for the animal 'hyena'. The word 'family' is used like a human family to mean a group of related animals, so family Hyaenidae simply means the group of animals that are true hyenas today.