suborder

American  

[suhb-awr-der] / ˈsʌbˌɔr dər /

noun

Biology.

1. a category of related families within an order.

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suborder British  

/ ˈsʌbˌɔːdə /

noun

1. biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of an order

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suborder Scientific  

/ sŭb′ôr′dər /

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

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Other Word Forms

• subordinal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of suborder

First recorded in 1820–30; sub- + order

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

suborder

What’s good enough for him is good enough for her in the suborder Serpentes.

From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

Snakes, the carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, are universally sinister-looking amniote vertebrates.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2019

Part of the suborder of mammals called toothed whales, they have 10 to 13 conical teeth in each jaw that interlock to crush and shred their prey.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2018

But an inverted, bird-like hip structure and flattened, leaf-shaped teeth – proof of an exclusively vegetal diet – suggested that it also shared traits with another major suborder, the ornithischia.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 16, 2017

In the Passerine order, not the least remarkable displays are witnessed in birds that are not accounted songsters, as they do not possess the highly developed vocal organ confined to the suborder Oscines.

From The Naturalist in La Plata by W. H. (William Henry) Hudson