phylogeny

noun phy·log·e·ny \ fī-ˈlä-jə-nē \

Definition of phylogeny

plural phylogenies

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 organism

3 :the history or course of the development of something (such as a word or custom)

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Recent Examples of phylogeny from the Web

Earlier this year paleontologists Matthew Baron, David Norman, and Paul Barrett unveiled a new dinosaur phylogeny that offers very different view of who’s related to whom.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Shaking the Dinosaur Family Tree," 15 May 2017
The study describing Atractus cerberus, published on March 15 in ZooKeys, uses DNA from 30 Atractus species to build an ambitious phylogeny, or family tree, of the genus.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "3 New Snakes Found, One Named for Underworld Monster," 24 Mar. 2017
Darwin knew that paleontologists had only just begun to probe the fossil record, and so outlining phylogenies or tracing evolutionary lines of descent was a risky maneuver since those findings would almost certainly have to be revised.

— brian switek, WIRED, "OpenLab Finalist: Giraffes – Necks for food, or necks for sex?," 7 Jan. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phylogeny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of phylogeny

International Scientific Vocabulary

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First Known Use: 1869

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Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, substrate

Medical Dictionary

phylogeny

noun phy·log·e·ny \ fi-ˈläj-ə-nē \

medical Definition of phylogeny

plural phylogenies

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 organism — called also phylogenesis; compare ontogeny

Learn More about phylogeny

See words that rhyme with phylogeny Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about phylogeny

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phylogeny

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