fam·i·ly

/făm'ə-lē, făm'lē/
n., pl. -lies.

A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

1. All the members of a household under one roof.
2. A group of persons sharing common ancestry. See Usage Note at collective noun.
3. Lineage, especially distinguished lineage.
4. A locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.
5. 1. A group of like things; a class.
   2. A group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of human beings.
6. Biology. A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below an order and above a genus. A family usually consists of several genera.
7. Linguistics. A group of languages descended from the same parent language, such as the Indo-European language family.
8. Mathematics. A set of functions or surfaces that can be generated by varying the parameters of a general equation.
9. Chemistry. A group of elements with similar chemical properties.
10. Chemistry. A vertical column in the periodic table of elements.

adj.

1. Of or having to do with a family: family problems.
2. Being suitable for a family: family movies.

[Middle English familie, from Latin familia, household, servants of a household, from famulus, servant.]