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Glite Dictionary
family Equidae

family Equidae

1 6.2
A group of animals that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛmɪli ˈɛkwɪdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: familia Equidae
  • Scientists study fossils from the family Equidae to understand the evolution of horses.

Examples

  • Zebras, which belong to the family Equidae, are native to Africa.

  • The family Equidae includes both modern horses and their extinct ancestors.

  • The family Equidae includes both living and extinct species.

  • Many scientists study the family Equidae to understand evolution.

  • The zebra is a member of the family Equidae, known for its distinctive black and white stripes.

  • Horses from the family Equidae have been domesticated for thousands of years for riding and work.

  • Researchers study animals in the family Equidae to better understand their evolution and behavior.

Synonyms

Equidae
vsfamily Equidae
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A group of animals that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras

is the identical scientific term written with an extra common-word label

Surface Forms

family Equidae singular
families Equidae plural

Morphology

family + Equidae

This is transparent because the noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'family' (a scientific grouping) and the taxonomic name 'Equidae', so its meaning — the family called Equidae comprising horses, asses, zebras, etc. — is directly derivable from the constituents. The construction follows common cross-linguistic noun-phrase naming patterns (e.g., 'family X'), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Family Equidae comes from the old Latin word equus meaning 'horse' and the word ending -idae, which scientists use to name a family of related animals. So family Equidae literally points to the group of horses, zebras, and asses.