Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
sandalwood family

sandalwood family

8.0
A group of mainly tropical trees, shrubs, and herbs that have nuts or single seeds, including the sandalwood tree
  • noun
  • /ˈsændəlˌwʊd ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia del sándalo
  • Some trees in the sandalwood family are valued for their aromatic wood.

Examples

  • Many members of the sandalwood family are used in traditional medicine.

  • Botanists are studying the distribution of the sandalwood family in Southeast Asia.

  • Several economically important species belong to the sandalwood family.

  • The sandalwood family includes many aromatic plants.

  • Many members of the sandalwood family are used in traditional medicine.

  • Some trees in the sandalwood family are valued for their aromatic wood.

  • Several economically important species belong to the sandalwood family.

Synonyms

Santalaceae
vssandalwood family
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of mainly tropical plants like sandalwood trees and shrubs

is the common English name instead of the Latin scientific label
family Santalaceae
vssandalwood family
  • Specialized
9.5

A group of tropical plants like mistletoe that have one seed in each fruit

is the everyday name without taxonomic wording

Surface Forms

sandalwood family singular
sandalwood families plural

Morphology

sandalwood + family

The phrase is compositional: 'family' (a grouping) applied to 'sandalwood' yields a group of related plants including sandalwood. This straightforward noun-noun combination follows common English patterns and would be derivable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Sandalwood family comes from the nice-smelling wood called sandalwood and the word family, meaning a 'group' of related plants. Because many trees in this group make the same nice-smelling wood, the phrase now refers to the group of plants that include sandalwood and its relatives.