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Glite Dictionary
quassia family

quassia family

9.9
A group of mainly tropical trees and shrubs with bitter bark and dry fruits with one seed
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɑːsiə ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de la quassia
  • Botanists classify the tree as part of the quassia family due to its winged fruit.

Examples

  • The bitter bark of many trees in the quassia family is used to make herbal medicines.

  • Many shrubs in the quassia family are found in tropical forests around the world.

  • The quassia family includes various species of trees.

  • Did you know the quassia family is known for its bitter bark?

  • Many shrubs in the quassia family thrive in the humid climate of tropical rainforests.

  • The bitter bark of trees from the quassia family is often used in traditional medicine.

  • Botanists study members of the quassia family for their unique fruit and bark characteristics.

Synonyms

Simaroubaceae
vsquassia family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of tropical trees and shrubs with bitter bark and dry winged fruits

is the common name for the same botanical family

Surface Forms

quassia family singular
quassia families plural

Morphology

quassia + family

This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'family' denotes a taxonomic group and 'quassia' names the taxon, so 'quassia family' clearly means the botanical family containing quassia species. The X + family pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard scientific naming, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Quassia family may come from the name of the bitter tree quassia, which was named for a Surinamese man called Quassi who used its very bitter bark as 'medicine'. So the name came to describe the group of trees and shrubs known for their bitter bark.