Familia

Familia is the Latin word for family and is used in several Romance languages to denote a group of related people or a household. In Spanish, familia means family; in Portuguese, família (with a diacritic) has a similar meaning. The term originates in Latin, where familia referred to a household unit governed by a pater familias.

In social science and everyday use, the family is a primary social group that provides care, socialization, economic support, and identity. Family structures vary across cultures and history, including nuclear families, extended families, and chosen families.

In biology, familia denotes a taxonomic rank between order and genus. In zoology, family names end with the suffix -idae (for example Canidae and Felidae); in botany, they end with -aceae (for example Rosaceae). The family level groups together related genera that share evolutionary ancestry and certain traits.