subfamily
Biology. a category of related genera within a family.
Linguistics. (in the classification of related languages within a family) a category of a higher order than a branch.: Compare branch (def. 8), family (def. 16).
Origin of subfamily
1Words Nearby subfamily
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use subfamily in a sentence
Apparently it is more closely related to the subfamily Perognathinae.
Speciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii | Henry W. SetzerThe grouse is a northern bird, extending into far colder regions than any other subfamily of the gallinaceous group.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom PayneThe third genus of the subfamily (Stephanella) is only known from Japan.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa | Nelson AnnandaleChickadees (subfamily Parinæ) have a short, stout bill, the nostrils covered with bristles; the tail is rather long and rounded.
Color Key to North American Birds | Frank M. ChapmanToes usually four, three front ones webbed; upper mandible curved and hooked; tail usually square (Gulls, subfamily Larinæ).
Color Key to North American Birds | Frank M. Chapman
British Dictionary definitions for subfamily
/ (ˈsʌbˌfæmɪlɪ) /
biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a family
any analogous subdivision, as of a family of languages
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 subfamily
[ sŭb′făm′ə-lē ]
A subdivision of a family of organisms, containing one or more genera. The names of subfamilies in the animal kingdom typically end in -inae, as in Cerambycinae, a subfamily of the longhorn beetle family Cerambycidae.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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