Skip to main content
magnoliid dicot family

magnoliid dicot family

9.8
A group of old flowering plants like nutmeg and bay laurel
  • noun
  • /mæɡˈnoʊliɪd ˈdaɪkɒt ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de dicotiledóneas magnoliid
  • Scientists study the magnoliid dicot family to understand the early evolution of flowering plants.

Examples

  • Some spices, such as nutmeg and bay laurel, belong to a magnoliid dicot family.

  • The magnoliid dicot family includes many ancient plant species.

  • The magnoliid dicot family includes many plants that are considered living fossils by botanists.

  • Are there any members of the magnoliid dicot family in this garden?

  • Scientists study the magnoliid dicot family to understand the early evolution of flowering plants.

  • The magnoliid dicot family includes many plants that are considered living fossils by botanists.

  • Some spices, such as nutmeg and bay laurel, belong to a magnoliid dicot family.

Surface Forms

Morphology

magnoliid + dicot + family

The meaning is compositionally derived: 'magnoliid' specifies a subgroup/type, 'dicot' identifies the plant class (two embryonic leaves), and 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping, so the phrase denotes a taxonomic family of magnoliid dicots. Although 'magnoliid' is technical vocabulary that many B1 learners may not know, if a learner does know the constituent meanings the overall sense is directly predictable from standard noun-modifier + noun + noun composition.

Etymology

Magnoliid dicot family takes its name from magnoliid (plants like magnolias), dicot ('two seed leaves'), and family ('a group'). So the phrase gives the image of a group of magnolia-like, two-seed-leaf plants and is used for a family of early flowering plants.