suborder

[ suhb-awr-der ]

/ ˈsʌbˌɔr dər /

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noun Biology.

a category of related families within an order.

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Origin of suborder

First recorded in 1820–30; sub- + order

Words nearby suborder

suboccipitobregmatic diameter, suboceanic, subofficer, suboptimal, suborbital, suborder, subordinal, subordinary, subordinate, subordinate clause, subordinated

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use suborder in a sentence

If you like mammal species from the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue")...
The March Madness Teams to Cheer If Yours Got Bounced|Ben Teitelbaum|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wings are ample and are somewhat folded or plaited, from which character the suborder takes its name.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley
Closely allied to the latter suborder is the suborder Plecoptera, which includes the single family Perlid or Stone-flies.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley
Rostrif′era, a suborder of gasteropods, with contractile rostrum or snout.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

Crabs of this suborder inhabit all seas of the globe, and are found from the shore to great depths.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
The group of rays and Hasse's order of Cyclospondyli we may consider each as a suborder of Tectospondyli.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for suborder

suborder

/ (ˈsʌbˌɔːdə) /

noun

biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of an order

Derived forms of suborder

subordinal, adjective

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

Medical definitions for suborder

suborder

[ sŭb′ôr′dər ]

A taxonomic category ranking between an order and a family.

Scientific definitions for suborder

suborder

[ sŭb′ôr′dər ]

A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below an order and containing one or more families.