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Glite Dictionary
family Megatheriidae

family Megatheriidae

9.9
A group of very large extinct ground sloths that lived in South America
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli ˌmɛɡəˈθɛriˌaɪdi/
  • Specialized
: familia Megatheriidae
  • The family Megatheriidae includes some of the largest ground sloths.

Examples

  • The family Megatheriidae included some of the largest land mammals of South America.

  • Scientists study the family Megatheriidae to better understand extinction events.

  • Fossils from the family Megatheriidae provide insight into prehistoric ecosystems.

  • Did you know that the family Megatheriidae existed millions of years ago?

  • Fossils from the family Megatheriidae provide insight into prehistoric ecosystems.

  • The family Megatheriidae included some of the largest land mammals that roamed South America.

  • Scientists study the family Megatheriidae to learn about the evolution of ancient sloths.

Synonyms

Megatheriidae
vsfamily Megatheriidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of very large ground sloths that lived in the Americas and are now extinct

is limited to South America and dated Oligocene to Holocene

Surface Forms

family Megatheriidae singular
families Megatheriidae plural

Morphology

family + Megatheriidae

The headword 'family' clearly signals a taxonomic grouping, so a learner who knows that word can infer this phrase names a biological family. However, 'Megatheriidae' is a specialised Latin taxon name that does not reveal its referent (large extinct ground sloths) to a typical B1 learner, so the full, specific meaning is not predictable from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Family Megatheriidae comes from old Greek words: mega meaning 'big' and therion meaning 'beast', so it creates the image of a 'huge beast' — the giant ground sloths that lived in South America. That's why the name refers to the family of very large, extinct ground sloths.