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Glite Dictionary
family Meliaceae

family Meliaceae

9.9
A group of tropical trees and shrubs valued for timber and as garden or house plants
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia Meliaceae
  • Mahogany is one of the most well-known members of the family Meliaceae.

Examples

  • Several valuable timber species belong to the family Meliaceae.

  • The family Meliaceae includes many valuable timber species.

  • Botanists are studying disease resistance in the family Meliaceae.

  • Did you know that the family Meliaceae is known for its hardwood?

  • Mahogany is one of the most well-known members of the family Meliaceae.

  • Several valuable timber species belong to the family Meliaceae.

  • The family Meliaceae includes many tropical trees prized for their wood.

Synonyms

Meliaceae
vsfamily Meliaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of tropical trees and bushes that includes mahogany

is the formal scientific term for that same botanical group
mahogany family
vsfamily Meliaceae
  • Specialized
7.6

A group of tropical trees and shrubs that produce valuable wood and are grown in gardens

is the formal botanical name rather than a popular label

Surface Forms

family Meliaceae singular
families Meliaceae plural

Morphology

family + Meliaceae

The phrase is a straightforward taxonomic NP: combining 'family' (a scientific grouping) with the proper name 'Meliaceae' yields the meaning ‘the plant family called Meliaceae.’ This is fully compositional and follows common cross-linguistic naming patterns for biological taxa, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand it.

Etymology

Family Meliaceae comes from the tree name Melia plus the ending -aceae, which scientists add to show a plant 'family'. So the phrase means the group of related tropical trees, such as mahogany, that belong to that family.