fam·i·ly
(făḿə-lē, făḿlē)
[Middle English familie, from Latin familia, household, servants of a household, from famulus, servant.]
noun: pl., -lies.
- A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
- Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.
- All the members of a household under one roof.
- A group of persons sharing common ancestry. See Usage Note at: collective noun
- Lineage, especially distinguished lineage.
- A locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.
- A group of like things; a class.
- A group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of human beings.
- Biology A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below an order and above a genus. A family usually consists of several genera.
- Linguistics A group of languages descended from the same parent language, such as the Indo-European language family.
- Mathematics A set of functions or surfaces that can be generated by varying the parameters of a general equation.
- Chemistry A group of elements with similar chemical properties.
- Chemistry A vertical column in the periodic table of elements.
adjective
- Of or having to do with a family: family problems.
- Being suitable for a family: family movies.
