Dictionary

familia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /fəˈmɪlɪə/

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin familia (“family”). Doublet of family.

Meanings

1. (historical) A household or religious community under one head, regarded as a unit.
   • Joska's elder brother Phuro was, however, seen as the leader of his familia. As one of the oldest males in the hamlet, with a familia that consisted of sons, bora and sons-in-law, Phuro's position as head of his familia was given by his age and by his authority as father. 2007, Ada I. Engebrigtsen, Exploring Gypsiness, page 117:
2. (Roman) The paterfamilias, his legitimate descendants and their wives, all persons adopted into his family and their wives, and all slaves belonging to the household.

Forms