What does suborder mean?
A suborder is a rank in a classification system, especially the biological hierarchy used to organize living organisms. It sits below an order and above a family, allowing taxonomists to divide a broad order into more specific groups. For example, a suborder of mammals may contain several related families. The word can also refer more generally to a subordinate rank or order within a larger organization, although this use is much less common. In scientific writing, suborder is usually lowercase unless it forms part of a formal taxon name. Its principal value is as a precise term for an intermediate taxonomic level: more specific than an order but less specific than a family. The expression is especially useful when discussing the systematic relationships among organisms and the classifications used to represent them.
nounA taxonomic category below an order and above a family. More generally, the word can mean a subordinate order or rank within a larger organization.
- A taxonomic category below an order and above a family.
- A subordinate order or rank within a larger organization.
"The two families belong to the same suborder of mammals."
"This snake is classified in a suborder of reptiles."
"The committee's recommendations were treated as a suborder to the principal directive."
The plural is standard when referring to multiple taxonomic categories, as in "two suborders of insects."
"The classification divides the order into several widely recognized suborders."
A suborder occupies the narrow taxonomic tier between an order and a family.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suborder come from?
The word combines the prefix sub-, meaning "under" or "below," with order. Order itself comes through Old French ordre from Latin ordo, meaning "arrangement," "row," or "sequence." The compound suborder was adopted in biological classification to denote a category beneath the established rank of an order.
Related word forms
How suborder is actually used
In biology, the term is part of a formal hierarchy of taxonomic ranks and is normally used with a plural taxon name, such as "a suborder of birds." Outside taxonomy, it is uncommon and may sound technical or archaic.
Easily confused with suborder
An order is a taxonomic rank above a suborder, while a suborder is the category immediately below it.