Thylacinidae
/ˌθaɪlæsɪˈnɪdiː/noun
A taxonomic family of carnivorous marsupials that includes the extinct thylacine and its extinct relatives.
Did you know?The family name preserves the thylacine’s distinctive marsupial pouch while comparing its body form to a dog, despite its separate marsupial ancestry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel- / *k̑won-
“The deep roots behind Greek thýlakos, “sack or pouch,” and Greek kýōn, “dog,” developed separately before being combined in the scientific name.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
thýlakos
“A sack, pouch, or bag.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kýōn, kyn-
“Dog; the combining form kyn- was used in zoological compounds.”
1790s–1800s
New Latin
Thylacinus
“A genus name meaning approximately “pouched dog,” formed from Greek thýlakos and kyn-.”
19th Century
New Latin
Thylacinidae
“The family name formed from Thylacinus with the zoological suffix -idae, meaning a family of related organisms.”
Modern English
English
Thylacinidae
“The scientific family classification containing the thylacine and related extinct marsupials.”