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Glite Dictionary
family Ceratopsidae

family Ceratopsidae

9.9
A group of horned plant-eating dinosaurs like Triceratops from ancient North America
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˌsɛrəˈtɒpsɪdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia Ceratopsidae
  • The large frills and facial horns are characteristic features of dinosaurs in the family Ceratopsidae.

Examples

  • Some of the most famous members of the family Ceratopsidae include Triceratops and Styracosaurus.

  • Paleontologists have discovered many fossils belonging to the family Ceratopsidae in North America.

  • The family Ceratopsidae includes famous dinosaurs like Triceratops.

  • Did you know the family Ceratopsidae thrived in North America?

  • Many fossils from the family Ceratopsidae have been unearthed in North America, revealing their ancient habitat.

  • The distinctive horns and frills of the family Ceratopsidae make these dinosaurs easily recognizable.

  • Dinosaurs in the family Ceratopsidae, such as Triceratops, were predominant herbivores during the Late Cretaceous period.

Synonyms

Ceratopsidae
vsfamily Ceratopsidae
  • Specialized
9.9

Large plant-eating dinosaurs with horns and bony frills, like Triceratops

includes the same family but specifies native presence in North America

Surface Forms

family Ceratopsidae singular
families Ceratopsidae plural

Morphology

family + Ceratopsidae

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'family' indicates a taxonomic rank and 'Ceratopsidae' is the name of that group, so the meaning is directly the scientific grouping of those horned dinosaurs. This follows a regular noun + proper-name pattern used across languages and contains no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Family Ceratopsidae comes from old Greek: the part ceratops means 'horned face' and the ending -idae marks a 'family', so the name literally means a 'family of horned faces'. That's why the term today refers to the family of horned, plant-eating dinosaurs like Triceratops.