-inae
See also: -inæ
Translingual
Alternative forms
- -inæ (obsolete)
Etymology
From Latin -īnae, feminine plural form of -īnus (“-ine”).
Suffix
-inae f pl
- (taxonomy) Used to form names of subfamilies of animals.
- (taxonomy) Used to form names of subtribes of plants, algae and fungi and viruses.
Usage notes
- All derivations featuring this suffix are pluralia tantum, but were formally understood as adjectives modifying the Latin feminine plural nouns bestiae (“beasts”) or plantae; e.g. Felinae (“cats”) = bestiae felinae (“feline beasts”).
- With the understanding that, for example, members of Fungi, Archaea, and Virus are neither beasts nor plants, the historical fiction has little contemporary relevance.