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Glite Dictionary
family Dermochelyidae

family Dermochelyidae

9.4
Large sea turtles with soft, flexible shells, including leatherbacks
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli dɜrˈmoʊkɛliˌaɪdi/
  • Specialized
: familia Dermochelyidae
  • The family Dermochelyidae includes the largest of all living turtles, the leatherback turtles.

Examples

  • Unlike hard-shelled sea turtles, members of the family Dermochelyidae have flexible, leathery shells.

  • Leatherback turtles belong to the family Dermochelyidae.

  • Marine biologists are studying threats to species within the family Dermochelyidae.

  • The family Dermochelyidae includes the largest sea turtles.

  • The family Dermochelyidae is known for its members' ability to dive deep in the ocean.

  • Researchers are working to conserve the family Dermochelyidae as their populations decline.

  • The most striking feature of the family Dermochelyidae is their large, soft bodies covered with leathery skin.

Synonyms

Dermochelyidae
vsfamily Dermochelyidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of large sea turtles that have soft leathery shells like the leatherback

is the same meaning but explicitly labels it as a family

Surface Forms

family Dermochelyidae singular
families Dermochelyidae plural

Morphology

family + Dermochelyidae

The phrase 'family Dermochelyidae' is fully compositional: 'family' signals a taxonomic grouping and 'Dermochelyidae' is the name of the specific turtle family, so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning. Taxonomic constructions of the form 'family X' are regular and cross-linguistically recognizable, making this immediately comprehensible to B1 learners who know the terms.

Etymology

Family Dermochelyidae may come from old Greek parts dermo meaning 'skin' and chelys meaning 'turtle'. This gives a clear picture: a very large turtle with a soft, leathery 'skin' instead of a hard shell, so the name is used for the leatherback turtles today.