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Definition of phylogeny - 6 dictionary results

phy⋅log⋅e⋅ny

  [fahy-loj-uh-nee]
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–noun
1. the development or evolution of a particular group of organisms.
2. the evolutionary history of a group of organisms, esp. as depicted in a family tree.
Also, phy⋅lo⋅gen⋅e⋅sis  [fahy-luh-jen-uh-sis] .
Compare ontogeny.

Origin:
1865–70; phylo- + -geny

Related forms:
phy⋅lo⋅ge⋅net⋅ic  [fahy-luh-juh-net-ik] , phy⋅lo⋅ge⋅net⋅i⋅cal, phy⋅lo⋅gen⋅ic, adjective
phy⋅lo⋅ge⋅net⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
phy⋅log⋅e⋅nist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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phy·log·e·ny   (fī-lŏj'ə-nē)   
n.   pl. phy·log·e·nies
  1. The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms. Also called phylogenesis.
  2. The evolutionary development of an organ or other part of an organism: the phylogeny of the amphibian intestinal tract.
  3. The historical development of a tribe or racial group.

[Greek phūlon, race, class; see phylum + -geny.]
phy'lo·gen'ic (-jěn'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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phylogeny 
"genesis and evolution of a phylum," 1872 (in Darwin), from Ger. Phylogenie, coined 1866 by Ger. biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919) from Gk. phylon "race" + -geneia "origin," from -genes "born."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: phy·log·e·ny
Pronunciation: fi-'läj-&-nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -nies
1 : the evolutionary history of a kind of organism
2 : the evolution of a genetically related group of organisms as distinguished from the development of the individual organismcalled also phylogenesis; —compare ONTOGENY
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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phylogeny phy·log·e·ny (fī-lŏj'ə-nē)
n.

  1. The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms. Also called phylogenesis.
  2. The evolutionary development of an organ or other part of an organism.
phy'lo·gen'ic (-jěn'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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phylogeny   (fī-lŏj'ə-nē)  Pronunciation Key 
The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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