| Main Entry: | paraphyletic |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | composed of some but not all members descending from a common ancestor |
paraphyletic  (pār'ə-fī-lět'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
Relating to a taxonomic group that includes some but not all of the descendants of a common ancestor. In the traditional taxonomy of vertebrates, where fish are a separate class from the classes of terrestrial vertebrates, the class of fish is paraphyletic, since the terrestrial vertebrates are descended from a type of fish. Compare monophyletic, polyphyletic. |