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Glite Dictionary
family Cichlidae

family Cichlidae

1 7.7
A group of fresh water fish that are often colorful and kept in aquariums
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˈsɪklɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Cichlidae
  • Many popular aquarium fish belong to the family Cichlidae due to their vivid colors and interesting behaviors.

Examples

  • The family Cichlidae includes over 1,600 species found primarily in Africa and the Americas.

  • Biologists often study the family Cichlidae to understand rapid speciation and adaptive radiation.

  • The family Cichlidae includes many colorful species.

  • Did you know that the family Cichlidae originates from Africa?

  • Many popular aquarium fish belong to the family Cichlidae due to their vivid colors and interesting behaviors.

  • The family Cichlidae includes over 1,600 species found primarily in Africa and the Americas.

  • Biologists often study the family Cichlidae to understand rapid speciation and adaptive radiation.

Synonyms

Cichlidae
vsfamily Cichlidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of freshwater fish often brightly colored and kept in aquariums

is the same group but shown as a phrase including the taxonomic rank

Surface Forms

family Cichlidae singular
families Cichlidae plural

Morphology

family + Cichlidae

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'family' as a scientific grouping combined with the proper name 'Cichlidae' directly yields the meaning 'the taxonomic family of cichlids.' This construction (family + taxon name) is a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern and presents no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

The name family Cichlidae comes from an old word for a kind of fish, and scientists used the word family to group similar fish called Cichlidae. So today family Cichlidae simply means the whole 'family' of cichlid fish.