Family

Family
Family Fam"i*ly, n.; pl. {Families}. [L. familia, fr. famulus servant; akin to Oscan famel servant, cf. faamat he dwells, Skr. dh[=a]man house, fr. dh[=a]to set, make, do: cf. F. famille. Cf. {Do}, v. t., {Doom}, {Fact}, {Feat}.] 1. The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders. [1913 Webster]

2. The group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society. [1913 Webster]

The welfare of the family underlies the welfare of society. --H. Spencer. [1913 Webster]

3. Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe, clan, or race; kindred; house; as, the human family; the family of Abraham; the father of a family. [1913 Webster]

Go ! and pretend your family is young. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

4. Course of descent; genealogy; line of ancestors; lineage. [1913 Webster]

5. Honorable descent; noble or respectable stock; as, a man of family. [1913 Webster]

6. A group of kindred or closely related individuals; as, a family of languages; a family of States; the chlorine family. [1913 Webster]

7. (Biol.) A group of organisms, either animal or vegetable, related by certain points of resemblance in structure or development, more comprehensive than a genus, because it is usually based on fewer or less pronounced points of likeness. In zo["o]logy a family is less comprehesive than an order; in botany it is often considered the same thing as an order. [1913 Webster]

{Family circle}. See under {Circle}.

{Family man}. (a) A man who has a family; esp., one who has a wife and children living with him and dependent upon him. (b) A man of domestic habits. ``The Jews are generally, when married, most exemplary family men.'' --Mayhew.

{Family of curves} or {Family of surfaces} (Geom.), a group of curves or surfaces derived from a single equation.

{In a family way}, like one belonging to the family. ``Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way, and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?'' --Thackeray.

{In the family way}, pregnant. [Colloq. euphemism] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Family — • In the classical Roman period the familia rarely included the parents or the children. Its English derivative was frequently used in former times to describe all the persons of the domestic circle, parents, children, and servants. Present usage …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Family 13 — Family 13, also known Ferrar Group ( f 13, von Soden calls the group Ii), is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 11th to the 15th century, which display a distinctive pattern of variant readings especially in placing the …   Wikipedia

  • Family — Жанры прогрессив рок блюз рок психоделический рок хард рок Годы 1967 1973 …   Википедия

  • Family — (engl. für „Familie“) war eine experimentierfreudige und schwer zu kategorisierende britische Rock Band um den Sänger Roger Chapman. Mit ihrer ungewöhnlichen Mischung aus wilder Bühnenpräsenz und musikalischer Feinsinnigkeit erwarb sich die Band… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Family 5 — Family Five (auch Family *5) wurde als deutschsprachige Band von Xao Seffcheque (Die Post, Die Pest, Der Rest, O.R.A.V.) und Peter Hein (Charley’s Girls, Mittagspause, Fehlfarben) 1981 in Düsseldorf als „Soul Punk“ Gruppe gegründet. Ursprünglich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • family — fam·i·ly / fam lē, fa mə / n pl lies 1: a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption 2: a group of usu. related individuals who live together under common household authority and esp. who have reciprocal duties to each other ◇… …   Law dictionary

  • family — [fam′ə lē, fam′lē] n. pl. families [ME familie < L familia, household establishment, akin to famulus, servant < ? IE * dhe mo , house (< base * dhē : see DO1) > Sans dhāman, household] 1. Obs. all the people living in the same house;… …   English World dictionary

  • Family 1 — is a group of the Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in Basel. Family 1 is also kown as the Lake Group , symbolized as f 1. Hermann von Soden calls …   Wikipedia

  • family — (n.) c.1400, servants of a household, from L. familia family servants, domestics; also members of a household, including relatives and servants, from famulus servant, of unknown origin. Ancestral sense is from early 15c.; household sense recorded …   Etymology dictionary

  • Family *5 — Family Five (auch Family *5) wurde als deutschsprachige Band von Xao Seffcheque (Die Post, Die Pest, Der Rest, O.R.A.V.) und Peter Hein (Charley’s Girls, Mittagspause, Fehlfarben) 1981 in Düsseldorf als „Soul Punk“ Gruppe gegründet. Ursprünglich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”