families | Definition of families

1a : the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children also : any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family a single-parent family

b : spouse and children want to spend more time with my family

2 : a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head : household

3a : a group of persons of common ancestry : clan

b : a people or group of peoples regarded as deriving from a common stock : race

4a : a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation : fellowship

b : the staff of a high official (such as the President)

5 : a group of things related by common characteristics: such as

a : a closely related series of elements or chemical compounds

b : a group of soils with similar chemical and physical properties (such as texture, pH, and mineral content) that comprise a category ranking above the series and below the subgroup in soil classification

c : a group of related languages descended from a single ancestral language

6a : a group of related plants or animals forming a category ranking above a genus and below an order and usually comprising several to many genera

b in livestock breeding

(1) : the descendants or line of a particular individual especially of some outstanding female

(2) : an identifiable strain within a breed

7 : a set of curves or surfaces whose equations differ only in parameters

8 : a unit of a crime syndicate (such as the Mafia) operating within a geographical area

family

Definition of family

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