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Glite Dictionary
subfamily Melinae

subfamily Melinae

9.9
A small group of mammals in the weasel family that includes badgers
  • noun
  • /sʌbˈfæmɪli ˈmɛlɪneɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : subfamilia Melinae
  • The European badger belongs to the subfamily Melinae of the family Mustelidae.

Examples

  • Researchers debated whether to classify certain species within the subfamily Melinae.

  • Field guides sometimes omit the subfamily Melinae in their classifications of carnivorous mammals.

  • The subfamily Melinae includes various species of badgers.

  • Did you know that the subfamily Melinae is often debated among biologists?

  • The European badger belongs to the subfamily Melinae of the family Mustelidae.

  • Researchers debated whether to classify certain species within the subfamily Melinae.

  • Field guides sometimes omit the subfamily Melinae in their classifications of carnivorous mammals.

Surface Forms

subfamily Melinae singular
subfamilies Melinae plural

Morphology

subfamily + Melinae

The structure is compositionally clear: 'subfamily' signals a taxonomic rank and 'Melinae' functions as the proper name of that group, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes a named subfamily. However, the specific content (that this subfamily includes badgers) is tied to world knowledge of the proper name and cannot be derived from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Subfamily Melinae comes from the animal name Meles, the scientific name for the badger, and the ending -inae is the standard Latin ending scientists use to show a 'subfamily', so the whole name means the group of badgers.