Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Biology A primary division of a kingdom, as of the animal kingdom, ranking next above a class in size. See Table at taxonomy.
- n. Linguistics A large division of possibly genetically related families of languages or linguistic stocks.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Any primary division or subkingdom of the animal or vegetable kingdom. , , , , , Cuvier recognized four animal types which would now be called phyla: the Radiata, Mollusca, Articulata, and Vertebrata. Zoologists now recognize at least seven such phyla:
- n. The graphic representation of the evolution of one or several forms of animal life by descent with modification from preexisting ancestors, on the principle of the construction of a genealogical table or “family tree.”
- n. In botany, a great group or sub-kingdom of the vegetable kingdom, next above a class. The Spermatophyta or seed-bearing plants constitute a phylum, formerly known as flowering plants or phanerogams. The cryptogams, or so-called flowerless plants, are now subdivided into several phyla. The vascular cryptogams constitute the phylum Pteridophyta. The Bryophyta are usually regarded as a phylum. With regard to the lower cellular cryptogams (Algæ, Fungi, etc.) the classification into phyla is still unsettled.
Wiktionary
- n. biology, taxonomy A rank in the classification of organisms, below kingdom and above class; also called a division, especially in describing plants; a taxon at that rank
- n. linguistics A large division of possibly related languages, or a major language family which is not subordinate to another.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) One of the larger divisions of the animal kingdom; a branch; a grand division.
- n. (Biol.) A series of animals or plants genetically connected.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (biology) the major taxonomic group of animals and plants; contains classes
- n. (linguistics) a large group of languages that are historically related
Etymologies
- From Latin phylum, from Ancient Greek φῦλον (phulon, "tribe, race"). (Wiktionary)
- New Latin phȳlum, from Greek phūlon, class; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Types of animals that have the same body plan are generally grouped together in the same phylum, which is the biological classification right under kingdom kingdom divides organisms into bacteria, plants, animals, and a few other categories.”
“The paper above also discusses the problem of the concept of a phylum, which is highly artificial and has lead to much confusion.”
“Phoenix photoelectric effect photon photosynthesis phrase phylum”
“In any event, we can start our classification system at the "phylum" level.”
“If you do not understand the coeffcients of nuclear (solar and galactic)radiation as an energy inputand its qualitative energy budget or the biochemistry of say refrigerant bacteria such as phylum Pseudomonas the activators and inhibitors of chemical thermodynamics and thermodiffusion state it in your discourse,ie provide a risk matrix of the levels of understanding of unquantified variables and the correlation of accuracy (proof) of the gcm.”
“This, though, was a different line of evolution, even a different phylum, if "phylum" meant anything here.”
“The bird "phylum" was struthious, and wings grew out of rudimentary forelimbs.”
““Although best known for the famous statement “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”, he also coined many words commonly used by biologists today, such as phylum, phylogeny, and ecology.”
“He divided the universe of living things into seven categories: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.”
“Even if mutants were a distinct species, no self-respecting biologist would ever use such a loaded term for a phylum name.”
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » A minor quibble with X-Men
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘phylum’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Words without the letter E
chord, slur, anabaptist, anabolic, diabolic, turbid, torpid, somniloquist, trump, bipolar, dioxin, hydrocarbon and 107 more...
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Groups
Words synonymous with 'group.'
congregation, crowd, gaggle, flock, clique, bunch, cluster, herd, mass, mob, multitude, organization and 118 more...
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animal group
Names for Groups of Animals.
clever madeupicals and human groups are fine.
( open list, randomness )
also see:
swarm, herd, flock, group, pack, school, shoal, click, gang, army, colony, tribe and 63 more... -
Extrude
tchotchke, lugubrious, inspissated, fissiparous, vituperation, quondam, absolutisation, artisanal, funicular, sacerdotal, abstruse, circumspect and 38 more...
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Serendipity's Words
defenestration, mercurial, syzygy, wicked, iniquitous, metastable, demimonde, entropic, ephemeral, irreligious, frisbee, manifold and 474 more...
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zoölogy
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Physical anthropology
acclimatization, adriatic, aegyptid, aeta, aethiopid, africoid, ainuid, aistin, alae, alare, albino, allele and 202 more...
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-Lum Words
Hoodlum has a mysterious 1871 San Francisco origin. Maybe it's neighborhood + diminutive -lum as in molecule, funicular, humunculus, etc. But no! The OED only records 'hood as a shortening of neigh...
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Faintheart's Words
onomatopoeia, no, terrafactive, word, faint, heart, joy, quixotic, karla, half, amp, tardis and 181 more...
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GRE 3500 P
paean, pall, palliate, pallid, palpable, palpitate, paltry, pan, panache, panegyric, pantomime, paraphernalia and 93 more...
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fbharjo's Words
jumelle, kef, kenspeckle, lautitious, essentic, pilpulistic, impavid, cicurant, clou, chrysostomic, miasma, teleology and 1625 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, P
pellucid, pertain, pampas, prate, pinecone, philistine, pantocrator, papaverine, postmeridian, potlatch, pharology, pinniped and 622 more...
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Found Around Here And Shared
isn't Wordie a nice place?
norepinephrine, salience, noise, ossuary, gauze, nematode, phylum, singularity, nootropic, coprolalia, glossolalia
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abiohphobia's Words
defenestrate, acquiesce, scruple, cruciverbalist, deleterious, topiary, lugubrious, forsooth, cunt, auscultate, bulbous, lascivious and 155 more...
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