Etymology
[
edit]
The term
nuclear family first appeared in the early 20th century.
Merriam-Webster dates the term back to 1924,
[4] while the
Oxford English Dictionary has a reference to the term from 1925; thus it is relatively new. The phrase is taken from the general use of the noun
nucleus, itself originating in the
Latin nux, meaning "nut", i.e. the core of something.
[a]
In its most common usage, the term
nuclear family refers to a household consisting of a
father, a
mother, and their
children,
[5] all in one household dwelling.
[4] George Murdock, an observer of families, offered an early description:
Many individuals are part of two nuclear families in their lives: the family of origin in which they are offspring, and the family of procreation in which they are a parent.
[7]
Alternative definitions have evolved to include family units with
same-sex parents,
[8] adoption, and perhaps additional adult relatives who take on a cohabiting parental role.
[9]
Stop being dense. The original and still true definition comes from the Latin... ergo FAMILY. In the traditional sense.
Now ye may fuck off.