Dictionary.com

family

[ fam-uh-lee, fam-lee ]
/ ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: family / families on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural fam·i·lies.
adjective

VIDEO FOR FAMILY

What Are 5 Words To Describe The Silent Generation?

The Silent Generation is the generation born between 1925–1945. Here are the words they think describe their generation.

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about family

    in a / the family way, pregnant1 (def. 1).

Origin of family

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English familie, from Latin familia “a household, the slaves of a household, domestics” equivalent to famul(us) “attendant, servant, slave” + -ia noun suffix; see -y3

grammar notes for family

OTHER WORDS FROM family

an·ti·fam·i·ly, adjectivein·ter·fam·i·ly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use family in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for family

family
/ (ˈfæmɪlɪ, ˈfæmlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

Word Origin for family

C15: from Latin familia a household, servants of the house, from famulus servant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for family

family
[ fămə-lē ]

A group of organisms ranking above a genus and below an order. The names of families end in -ae, a plural ending in Latin. In the animal kingdom, family names end in -idae, as in Canidae (dogs and their kin), while those in the plant kingdom usually end in -aceae, as in Rosaceae (roses and their kin). See Table at taxonomy.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for family

family

In biology, the classification lower than an order and higher than a genus. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, and house cats belong to the same biological family. Human beings belong to the biological family of hominids. (See Linnean classification.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with family

family

see in a family way; run in the blood (family).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK