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Glite Dictionary
family Testudinidae

family Testudinidae

1 8.8
A group of land tortoises with domed shells and short, heavy legs
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli tɛstʊˈdɪniˌdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Testudinidae
  • The family Testudinidae includes various types of tortoises that are often found in dry habitats.

Examples

  • One common member of the family Testudinidae is the giant tortoise, which can weigh over 500 pounds.

  • Ocean-going species are sea turtles, and members of the family Testudinidae, such as the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), are considered tortoises.

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  • People often mistake members of the family Testudinidae for other reptiles due to their unique appearance.

Synonyms

Testudinidae
vsfamily Testudinidae
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of land tortoises with domed shells and short, thick legs

occupy various regions worldwide rather than only warm areas

Surface Forms

family Testudinidae singular
families Testudinidae plural

Morphology

family + Testudinidae

The phrase structure 'family + [taxon name]' transparently signals a taxonomic grouping, so a learner who knows the word 'family' will understand this refers to a named biological family. However, 'Testudinidae' is a specialized proper taxon name (not decomposable into common English morphemes), so identifying that it denotes tortoises requires prior lexical or world knowledge of the name. Because the syntactic/compositional relation is clear but the referent of the name is opaque without exposure, the item is semi-transparent.

Etymology

Family Testudinidae comes from the old Latin word testudo, which means 'tortoise'. People used that word to make the scientific family name for land tortoises with domed shells and stumpy legs, so today family Testudinidae refers to that group of land-dwelling 'tortoise' species.