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Glite Dictionary
family Lemnaceae

family Lemnaceae

8.1
A group of small plants that float on fresh water and have no stems or leaves
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia Lemnaceae
  • In the family Lemnaceae, the plants lack traditional roots and stems, exhibiting a unique thalloid structure.

Examples

  • The minute size of plants in the duckweed family (Lemnaceae) facilitates the dispersal of whole individuals.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Many species in the family Lemnaceae can reproduce rapidly, making them common in ponds and marshes.

  • The small plants in the family Lemnaceae float on the water's surface, providing shelter for fish.

Synonyms

duckweed family
vsfamily Lemnaceae
  • Specialized
7.4

A group of very small plants that float on still water like ponds

focuses on the missing stems and leaves as the main structural feature
Lemnaceae
vsfamily Lemnaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

Small plants called duckweed that float on pond water and form a green mat

highlights structure and lack of true stems or leaves instead of habitat

Surface Forms

family Lemnaceae singular
families Lemnaceae plural

Morphology

family + Lemnaceae

This phrase is a straightforward taxonomic label formed by the generic noun 'family' (a grouping of related species) plus the specific family name 'Lemnaceae', so the meaning ('the family called Lemnaceae, i.e. the group of duckweed species') is directly derivable from its parts. Taxonomic naming conventions (family + scientific name) are cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can understand the MWE.

Etymology

Family Lemnaceae may come from the old plant name Lemna, a word for tiny floating plants often called 'duckweed'. So the name simply means the 'group' or family of those little water plants.