Definition of Family The word “family” has had several different definitions depending on what reference you use. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term derives from the Latin word familia, which includes people living under one roof. This includes the father, mother, children, and even servants. During the 1660s, it was classified as a more specific term in English as children and their parents whether they live together or not, or people who are related by blood. This included aunts, uncles, and cousins (Harper). This paper aims to give an accurate definition of the term “family” and how it has changed through the centuries. According to the Family Law and Legal Definition, “family” is defined as “one or more persons occupying
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I would have to say it aligns with the definition given by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which states a family is a group of people who are related to each other by common ancestry (Merriam-Webster). This definition gives the impression that your family is only consisting of your parents and your siblings. Many people even consider their pets part of their family. I, myself, do not agree with this definition since I agree with the Merriam-Webster definition of family. I was born into a family where my grandmother does ancestry, so I cannot agree with that as animals are not part of your bloodline or ancestry, whether by marriage or blood. Even my grandparents are my immediate family, which is something most people do not consider. They raised me along with my parents when I was a child and were and still are a huge influence on my life, and have always had a huge impact on it as well, always will. I can understand why people consider pets their family as they can grow special bonds with their them; especially if they raise them from birth. In today’s world as the divorce rate has grown exponentially, this definition is not being used as much as it used to be. To me though, the meaning is still the same. It does not matter if your parents are divorced and you may have a step-father or step-mother, your biological parents are your family. More specifically, your immediate …show more content…
A co-worker of mine told me that he believes family consists of the people that you can developed a personal connection with. He stated that to him, “Family consists of all my family, not only that but friends who have always been there for me. People who will be there through the tough times and the good times and those whom you have had plenty of good times and laughs with.” (Fagan). After he told me that, I looked back at my short time in the military and I even agreed and retracted my agreement with the Merriam-Webster definition to an extent. This is because the people I trained with and spent my days with did become like my family. When you go through the tough times and the good times with people, you do start to consider them family, but I still remain true to the definition of family being those that are related by blood or common ancestry with a few
I would have to say it aligns with the definition given by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which states a family is a group of people who are related to each other by common ancestry (Merriam-Webster). This definition gives the impression that your family is only consisting of your parents and your siblings. Many people even consider their pets part of their family. I, myself, do not agree with this definition since I agree with the Merriam-Webster definition of family. I was born into a family where my grandmother does ancestry, so I cannot agree with that as animals are not part of your bloodline or ancestry, whether by marriage or blood. Even my grandparents are my immediate family, which is something most people do not consider. They raised me along with my parents when I was a child and were and still are a huge influence on my life, and have always had a huge impact on it as well, always will. I can understand why people consider pets their family as they can grow special bonds with their them; especially if they raise them from birth. In today’s world as the divorce rate has grown exponentially, this definition is not being used as much as it used to be. To me though, the meaning is still the same. It does not matter if your parents are divorced and you may have a step-father or step-mother, your biological parents are your family. More specifically, your immediate …show more content…
A co-worker of mine told me that he believes family consists of the people that you can developed a personal connection with. He stated that to him, “Family consists of all my family, not only that but friends who have always been there for me. People who will be there through the tough times and the good times and those whom you have had plenty of good times and laughs with.” (Fagan). After he told me that, I looked back at my short time in the military and I even agreed and retracted my agreement with the Merriam-Webster definition to an extent. This is because the people I trained with and spent my days with did become like my family. When you go through the tough times and the good times with people, you do start to consider them family, but I still remain true to the definition of family being those that are related by blood or common ancestry with a few