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phylum
[ fahy-luhm ]
noun
, plural phy·la [fahy, -l, uh].
- Biology. the primary subdivision of a taxonomic kingdom, grouping together all classes of organisms that have the same body plan.
- Linguistics. a category consisting of language stocks that, because of cognates in vocabulary, are considered likely to be related by common origin. Compare stock ( def 13 ).
phylum
/ ˈfaɪləm /
noun
- a major taxonomic division of living organisms that contain one or more classes. An example is the phylum Arthropoda (insects, crustaceans, arachnids, etc, and myriapods)
- any analogous group, such as a group of related language families or linguistic stocks
phylum
/ fī′ləm /
, Plural phyla
- A group of organisms ranking above a class and below a kingdom.
- See Table at taxonomy
phylum
- plur. phyla One of the major divisions of the kingdoms of living things; the second-largest standard unit of biological classification. The arthropods , chordates , and mollusks are phyla. Phyla in the plant kingdom are frequently called divisions. ( See Linnean classification .)
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Other Words From
- phylar adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of phylum1
C19: New Latin, from Greek phulon race
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Example Sentences
The entire phylum of what they do is called “hedging risk,” not diving into it.
From The Daily Beast
Differentiation within the vertebrate phylum is therefore not uniserial, but takes place in several directions.
From Project Gutenberg
The higher animals begin with the twelfth phylum, namely, the Chordata, or vertebrates.
From Project Gutenberg
The leech is a fresh-water parasitic invertebrate belonging to the Phylum Annelida.
From Project Gutenberg
What applies to the vertebrate phylum applies also to the invertebrate groups.
From Project Gutenberg
What evidence is there as to the origin of the bony skeleton in the vertebrate phylum itself?
From Project Gutenberg
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