custard-apple family
- noun
- /ˈkʌstərd ˈæpl ˈfæmɪli/
- UK
- Several members of the custard-apple family are widely cultivated in tropical regions.
Examples
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Have you ever tasted fruit from the custard-apple family?
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Botanists classify the soursop tree as part of the custard-apple family.
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The custard-apple family includes many species that are valued for their edible fruits.
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The custard-apple family includes many tropical species.
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The custard-apple family includes many tropical trees that produce delicious fruits.
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Botanists study the custard-apple family to learn more about its diverse species.
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Plants belonging to the custard-apple family thrive in warm, humid climates.
Synonyms
A family of tropical trees and shrubs with sweet-smelling flowers and edible fruits like custard apple
Surface Forms
Morphology
custard-apple + family
The construction is fully compositional: 'X family' conventionally means the taxonomic group containing X, and a learner who knows 'custard-apple' and 'family' can readily infer it denotes the plant family that includes custard apples. This noun + family pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary semantic combination, so the meaning is transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Custard-apple family comes from the fruit: the soft, sweet inside of the fruit is like custard and its shape looks a little like an apple. So, custard-apple family means the 'family' or group of trees and shrubs that make these custard-like fruits.