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Glite Dictionary
family Pediculidae

family Pediculidae

9.3
A group of lice that live on mammals and feed on their blood
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli pəˈdɪkjʊleɪdi/
  • Specialized
: familia Pediculidae
  • The family Pediculidae contains species that are obligate parasites of mammals, including humans.

Examples

  • The family Pediculidae includes the well-known human lice.

  • Scientists studied the evolutionary relationships within the family Pediculidae to better understand human lice.

  • Infestations caused by members of the family Pediculidae may require specialized treatment.

  • Did you know that family Pediculidae is a group of true lice?

  • The family Pediculidae includes the species that are infamous for causing head lice infestations in humans.

  • Research on the family Pediculidae reveals that these lice have adapted to their parasitic lifestyle on human hosts.

  • Members of the family Pediculidae are typically found clinging to human hair, where they can feed on blood.

Synonyms

Pediculidae
vsfamily Pediculidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small insects that live on people and animals and feed on their blood

uses an explicit label to show taxonomic rank rather than only the name

Surface Forms

family Pediculidae singular
families Pediculidae plural

Morphology

family + Pediculidae

The phrase is fully compositional: 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping and 'Pediculidae' is the taxon name, so combining them yields 'the family Pediculidae (a group of lice)'. This follows standard scientific naming patterns that are cross-linguistically familiar, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Family Pediculidae comes from the Latin word pediculus, which means 'louse', a tiny insect that clings to hair. So, the name simply labels the group of 'lice' that includes those that live on humans.