FAMILY - Definition & Meaning for Kids
Meaning 1
Part of speech: Noun
a social unit living together
Example: he moved his family to Virginia; It was a good Christian household; I waited until the whole house was asleep; the teacher asked how many people made up his home
Categories: Unit, Social unit
Meaning 2
Part of speech: Noun
primary social group; parents and children
Example: he wanted to have a good job before starting a family
Categories: Kin, Kin group, Kinship group, Kindred, Clan, Tribe
Meaning 3
Part of speech: Noun
people descended from a common ancestor
Example: his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower
Categories: Lineage, Line, Line of descent, Descent, Bloodline, Blood line, Blood, Pedigree, Ancestry, Origin, Parentage, Stemma, Stock
Meaning 4
Part of speech: Noun
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera
Example: sharks belong to the fish family
Categories: Taxonomic group, Taxonomic category, Taxon
Meaning 5
Part of speech: Noun
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities
Example: the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family; the church welcomed new members into its fellowship
Categories: Association
Synonyms
🌱 Word Origin (Etymology)
The word "family" comes from Oscan famel. It started in Old Latin famul. Then it appeared in Latin familia.
🔗 Related Words
familie – A related word in the same word family.
familia – A related word in the same word family.
🧩 Fun Fact
Legal and medical professions still use Latin phrases because of its precision and historical authority.