family Tabanidae
- noun
- Specialized
- The family Tabanidae includes many species of horseflies notorious for their painful bites.
Examples
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Members of the family Tabanidae are important in the transmission of certain animal diseases.
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Researchers studied the distribution of the family Tabanidae in tropical regions.
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The family Tabanidae includes many species of horseflies.
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Did you know that the family Tabanidae can be found worldwide?
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The family Tabanidae includes many species of horseflies known for their painful bites.
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Members of the family Tabanidae play a significant role in the transmission of animal diseases.
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The family Tabanidae can be found in a variety of habitats around the world.
Synonyms
Large biting flies like horseflies that feed on blood from animals and people
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a compositional taxonomic noun phrase: 'family' (a scientific grouping) combined with the taxon name 'Tabanidae' directly yields the meaning 'the family Tabanidae (horseflies)'. Taxonomic constructions of the form 'family + taxon' are cross-linguistically regular and fully derivable from the constituents, so a learner who knows both words will understand the phrase.
Etymology
Family Tabanidae comes from the old Latin word Tabanus, which meant a large biting fly that attacked horses. Because people used Tabanus for those painful flies, the word came to name the whole 'family' of horseflies we mean today.