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family   :

1. BIOLOGY. A group of living things with similar characteristics used by scientists in the classification of animals and plants. The name of each animal family ends with the suffix –idea, while each plant family ends with the suffix –acae. For example, house cats, lions, and tigers belong to the cat family ( called Felidae). A family is further divided into genera (singular, genus). Also, a group of animals made up of a male and female and their offspring. 2. CHEMISTRY. A group of chemical elements that have similar properties. Neon, argon, xenon, and krypton belong to a family of elements that are chemically inactive. [Family comes from a Latin word meaning “household.”]