family, household, house, home, menage (noun)

a social unit living together

"he moved his family to Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many people made up his home"

family, family unit (noun)

primary social group; parents and children

"he wanted to have a good job before starting a family"

class, category, family (noun)

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

"there are two classes of detergents"

family, family line, folk, kinfolk, kinsfolk, sept, phratry (noun)

people descended from a common ancestor

"his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"

kin, kinsperson, family (noun)

a person having kinship with another or others

"he's kin"; "he's family"

family (noun)

(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera

"sharks belong to the fish family"

syndicate, crime syndicate, mob, family (noun)

a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities

family, fellowship (noun)

an association of people who share common beliefs or activities

"the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family"; "the church welcomed new members into its fellowship"

family (Noun)

A father, mother and their sons and daughters; also called nuclear family.

family (Noun)

A group of people related by blood, marriage, law, or custom.

family (Noun)

A kin, tribe; also called extended family.

family (Noun)

A rank in the classification of organisms, below order and above genus; a taxon at that rank.

family (Noun)

A group of people who live together, or one that is similar to one that is related by blood, marriage, law, or custom, or members of one's intimate social group.

family (Noun)

Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.

family (Noun)

A group of instrument having the same basic method of tone production.

family (Noun)

A group of languages believed to have descended from the same ancestral language.

family (Adjective)

Suitable for children and adults.

family (Adjective)

Conservative, traditional.

family (Adjective)

Homosexual.

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children. Anthropologists most generally classify family organization as matrilocal; conjugal; and consanguineal in which parents and children co-reside with other members of one parent's family. There are also concepts of family that break with tradition within particular societies, or those that are transplanted via migration to flourish or else cease within their new societies. As a unit of socialization the family is the object of analysis for sociologists of the family. Genealogy is a field which aims to trace family lineages through history. In science, the term "family" has come to be used as a means to classify groups of objects as being closely and exclusively related. In the study of animals it has been found that many species form groups that have similarities to human "family"—often called "packs." Sexual relations among family members are regulated by rules concerning incest such as the incest taboo.

Family

In the context of human society, a family (from Latin: familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth), affinity (by marriage or other relationship), or co-residence (as implied by the etymology of the English word "family") or some combination of these. The purpose of families is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideally, families would offer predictability, structure, and safety as members mature and participate in the community. In most societies, it is within families children acquire socialization for life outside the family. Additionally, as the basic unit for meeting the basic needs of its members, it provides a sense of boundaries for performing tasks in a heterosexual environment, ideally builds a person into a functional adult, transmits culture, and ensures continuity of humankind with precedents of knowledge. Anthropologists generally classify most family organizations as matrifocal (a mother and her children); conjugal (a wife, her husband, and children, also called the nuclear family); avuncular (for example, a grandparent, a brother, his sister, and her children); or extended (parents and children co-reside with other members of one parent's family). Members of the immediate family may include spouses, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. Members of the extended family may include aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, and siblings-in-law. Sometimes these are also considered members of the immediate family, depending on an individual's specific relationship with them. Sexual relations among the members are regulated by rules concerning incest such as the incest taboo. The word "families" can be used metaphorically to create more inclusive categories such as community, nationhood, global village, and humanism. The field of genealogy aims to trace family lineages through history. The family is also an important economic unit studied in family economics.