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family Ginkgoaceae

family Ginkgoaceae

9.9
A group of seed plants including the living ginkgo tree and extinct relatives
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˌɡɪŋkoʊˈeɪʃiˌi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia Ginkgoaceae
  • Only one living species, Ginkgo biloba, belongs to the family Ginkgoaceae.

Examples

  • The family Ginkgoaceae dates back more than 200 million years in the fossil record.

  • Botanists study fossil leaves to understand the ancient diversity of the family Ginkgoaceae.

  • The family Ginkgoaceae includes unique plants.

  • Many species in the family Ginkgoaceae are ancient.

  • Only one living species, Ginkgo biloba, belongs to the family Ginkgoaceae.

  • Botanists study fossil leaves to understand the ancient diversity of the family Ginkgoaceae.

  • The family Ginkgoaceae dates back more than 200 million years in the fossil record.

Synonyms

Ginkgoaceae
vsfamily Ginkgoaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of plants that includes the ginkgo tree

is the everyday English name rather than the Latin term
ginkgo family
vsfamily Ginkgoaceae
  • Specialized
8.9

A group of ancient seed plants with only one living species

is the formal Latin scientific name rather than the common name

Surface Forms

Morphology

family + Ginkgoaceae

The phrase simply names a taxonomic family by combining the generic noun 'family' (a scientific grouping) with the specific taxon name 'Ginkgoaceae', so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional, label-making pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Family Ginkgoaceae takes its name from the tree Ginkgo and the plant-ending -aceae. One popular story says Ginkgo comes from an old Japanese word meaning 'silver apricot', and -aceae means 'family', so the name simply means the plant 'family' that includes the ginkgo tree.