Main entry(ies)
- biological family
- nuclear family
Secondary entry(ies)
- family / biological —
- family / nuclear —
Term in context
Parents and their children are sometimes referred to as the biological family1, or nuclear family1 . Brothers2 and sisters3, without distinction of sex are called sibs4 or siblings4 . Siblings with only one parent in common are called half-brothers5 or half-sisters6. Extended families7 are larger family units generally composed of combinations of nuclear families. The vertically extended family8★ consists of three or more generations living in the same household or very close to each other. The horizontally extended family9★ involves siblings with their spouses and their children living together. The vertically extended family can generate special types such as the stem family10★ in which only one of the children (the heir) continues to reside with the parents after marriage, together with the heir's spouse and their own children.
Footnotes
1 The term simple family and elementary family are frequent synonyms for the terms biological or nuclear family. In a restricted sense, such as in fertility analyses, the term biological family may refer to parents and their own children, excluding adopted children.
7 The terms composite family and joint family are frequent synonyms for the term extended family. In the most general sense of the term, an extended family may refer to all members of a kinship group.
