anguillidae
|an-guil-li-dae|
/æŋˈɡwɪlɪdiː/
family of freshwater eels
Etymology
'anguillidae' originates from New Latin, built on Latin 'anguilla' meaning 'eel' plus the zoological family suffix '-idae' from Greek '-idai' meaning 'descendants of' or 'related to.'
'anguilla' (Latin for 'eel') became the New Latin genus name 'Anguilla'; the family name was then formed in New Latin as 'Anguillidae' by adding the standard family suffix '-idae'.
Initially denoting ‘the family descended from or related to Anguilla (eels)’, it now straightforwardly means ‘the eel family’ in zoological classification.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the zoological family of freshwater eels, including the genus Anguilla; a taxonomic family within the order Anguilliformes.
anguillidae is a family within anguilliformes that includes the genus anguilla.
Synonyms
Noun 2
members of the family Anguillidae collectively; freshwater eels.
anguillidae are largely catadromous, migrating to the sea to spawn.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/09 18:23