family Lampridae

9.9

A group of large deep sea fish called opahs that live in warm and cool oceans

noun
/ˈfæmɪli ˈlæmprɪdeɪ/

Specialized

: familia Lampridae

Did you know that the family Lampridae consists of large, deep-bodied fishes?

Examples

The family Lampridae includes only a few living species of opahs.
The family Lampridae includes the unique opah fish.
Biologists recently identified a new member of the family Lampridae in Pacific waters.
Studies of the family Lampridae have revealed unique adaptations for deep-sea living.
Biologists recently identified a new member of the family Lampridae in Pacific waters.
Studies of the family Lampridae have revealed unique adaptations for deep-sea living.
The family Lampridae includes only a few living species of opahs.

Synonyms

Lampridae

vsfamily Lampridae

Specialized

9.9

A group of large colorful ocean fish with round bodies like the opah found worldwide

is restricted to warm and temperate ocean areas rather than most oceans

Surface Forms

family Lampridae singular

families Lampridae plural

Morphology

family + Lampridae

This is a straightforward taxonomic noun phrase: 'family' (a grouping) combined with the taxon name 'Lampridae' yields the meaning 'the taxonomic family Lampridae (opahs)', which is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'Lampridae' is specialized, the compositional pattern (grouping word + taxon name) is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both words will understand the phrase.

Etymology

Family Lampridae is a scientific name: family means a group of related species, and Lampridae comes from the name Lampris, a Greek word meaning 'bright', because opah fish have shiny, bright bodies. So family Lampridae simply means the group of large, deep-bodied sea fish called opahs.