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Glite Dictionary
family Soricidae

family Soricidae

1 9.5
A group of small animals called shrews that eat insects and have pointed snouts
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli sɔːrɪˈkaɪdi/
  • Specialized
: familia Soricidae
  • Members of the family Soricidae are distinguished by their sharp, spike-like teeth.

Examples

  • The family Soricidae includes various species of shrews.

  • Scientists study the family Soricidae to understand the evolution of small insectivorous mammals.

  • The family Soricidae includes more than 300 species of shrews found worldwide.

  • Did you know that the family Soricidae has over 300 species?

  • The family Soricidae includes several species of shrews, which are known for their insect-eating habits.

  • Researchers studied the family Soricidae to learn more about the diet and behavior of shrews.

  • Members of the family Soricidae are often found in forests, where they hunt for insects and worms.

Synonyms

Soricidae
vsfamily Soricidae
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Small mammals like shrews that eat insects and have pointed snouts and tiny eyes

is written with a leading common word that shows taxonomic rank

Surface Forms

family Soricidae singular
families Soricidae plural

Morphology

family + Soricidae

The phrase is directly compositional: 'family' (a taxonomic grouping) combined with 'Soricidae' (the shrew family) yields the meaning 'the family of shrews.' Although 'Soricidae' is specialist vocabulary, the syntactic and semantic combination follows standard, cross-linguistic taxonomic naming patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Family Soricidae comes from a Latin word for 'shrew'. So it is the family name for many small, pointy-nosed, insect-eating mammals called 'shrews'.