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in the family way

in the fam·i·ly way
I i

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [in stressed th ee fam-uh-lee, fam-lee wey]
    • /ɪn stressed ði ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li weɪ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [in stressed th ee fam-uh-lee, fam-lee wey]
    • /ɪn stressed ði ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li weɪ/

Definitions of in the family way words

  • noun plural in the family way a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family. a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family. 1
  • noun plural in the family way the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family. 1
  • noun plural in the family way the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week. 1
  • noun plural in the family way any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family. 1
  • noun plural in the family way all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor. 1
  • noun plural in the family way Chiefly British. approved lineage, especially noble, titled, famous, or wealthy ancestry: young men of family. 1
See all 23 definitions of in the family way

Information block about the term

Origin of in the family way

First appearance:

before 1350
One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English familie < Latin familia a household, the slaves of a household, equivalent to famul(us) servant, slave + -ia -y3

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for In the family way

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of In the family way

in the family way popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

in the family way usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for in the family way

adj in the family way

  • anticipating — to realize beforehand; foretaste or foresee: to anticipate pleasure.
  • carrying — to take or support from one place to another; convey; transport: He carried her for a mile in his arms. This elevator cannot carry more than ten people.
  • pregnant — convincing; cogent: a pregnant argument.
All 3 Synonyms of in the family way

See also

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