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Glite Dictionary
Fabaceae

Fabaceae

1 8.9
A family of flowering plants like peas and beans that make seed pods
  • noun
  • /fæˈbeɪʃiː/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Fabaceae
  • Because the tree belongs to the Fabaceae family, it has the capacity to fix nitrogen and thrive in poor soils.
  • the Fabaceae family

Examples

  • In addition, Southern peas are members of the Fabaceae family and can obtain nitrogen from the air through nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

  • In addition, Southern peas are members of the legume family (Fabaceae) and can obtain nitrogen from the air through nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in the soil and their roots.

    Blog text (22)

  • LEGUME FAMILY (Fabaceae)

    Blog text (1)

  • Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, cultivated as an important forage crop.

Synonyms

legume family
vsFabaceae
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A group of plants like peas and beans that grow in pods

is the formal scientific name used in scientific contexts
pea family
vsFabaceae
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A group of plants that grow bean pods like peas and beans

is the formal scientific name rather than a member-focused informal name
Leguminosae
vsFabaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

A large group of plants like beans or peas that have pods with seeds

is the modern scientific name rather than the older alternative

Surface Forms

Fabaceae singular
Fabaceae plural

Morphology

Fabaceae = faba + aceae

A specialized botanical Latin formation (genus stem + taxonomic suffix '-aceae') that is not a productive English morphological pattern and therefore not guessable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Fabaceae comes from the Latin word faba, meaning 'bean', plus the ending -aceae, which is used to name plant 'families'. So Fabaceae literally means the 'bean family', which fits because it includes peas, beans and other plants that make seed pods.