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Glite Dictionary
family Anguillidae

family Anguillidae

9.6
Eels that live in rivers as adults but travel to the sea to lay eggs
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli æŋˈɡwɪlɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Anguillidae
  • The family Anguillidae includes species such as the European eel and the American eel.

Examples

  • Young eels of the family Anguillidae can live for many years in rivers before returning to the sea.

  • Scientists have studied the migration patterns of the family Anguillidae for decades.

  • The family Anguillidae includes many species of eels.

  • Did you know that the family Anguillidae migrates to the sea?

  • The family Anguillidae is known for its unique life cycle, spending most of its life in freshwater.

  • Eels from the family Anguillidae are fascinating because they travel thousands of miles to their spawning grounds in the ocean.

  • Members of the family Anguillidae rely on freshwater habitats for growth before they migrate to the sea to reproduce.

Synonyms

Anguillidae
vsfamily Anguillidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of eels that live in fresh water as adults but travel to the sea to breed

uses a fuller phrase to make clear it names that taxonomic group level

Surface Forms

family Anguillidae singular
families Anguillidae plural

Morphology

family + Anguillidae

The phrase is a straightforward taxonomic construction: combining 'family' (a scientific grouping) with the taxon name 'Anguillidae' yields 'the family called Anguillidae.' Given that a B1 learner who knows both constituents will recognize this compositional pattern (common across languages for scientific names), the meaning is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Family Anguillidae comes from the Latin word 'anguilla', meaning 'little eel' or 'little snake', because these fish are long and snake-like. These eels live in rivers as adults and then swim back to the sea to 'lay eggs', so the name points to this group of migrating, snake-like eels.