subfamily

[suhb-fam-uh-lee, -fam-lee, suhb-fam-uh-lee, -fam-lee] /sʌbˈfæm ə li, -ˈfæm li, ˈsʌbˌfæm ə li, -ˌfæm li/
noun, plural subfamilies.
1.
Biology. a category of related genera within a family.
2.
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 14).
Origin
1825-35; sub- + family
Examples from the web for subfamily
  • It was so odd he put it in its own genus, and even gave it its own subfamily.
British Dictionary definitions for subfamily

subfamily

/ˈsʌbˌfæmɪlɪ/
noun (pl) -lies
1.
(biology) a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a family
2.
any analogous subdivision, as of a family of languages
subfamily in Medicine

subfamily sub·fam·i·ly (sŭb'fām'ə-lē)
n.
A taxonomic category ranking between a family and a genus.

subfamily in Science
subfamily
  (sŭb'fām'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.