Translingual

Alternative forms

• -inæ (obsolete)

Suffix

-inae f pl

1. (taxonomy) Used to form names of subfamily of animals.
2. (taxonomy) Used to form names of subtribe 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.

Derived terms

Latin

Suffix

-īnae

1. nominative feminine plural of -īnus
2. genitive feminine singular of -īnus
3. dative feminine singular of -īnus
4. vocative feminine plural of -īnus