phylum

noun

phy·​lum ˈfī-ləm How to pronounce phylum (audio)
plural phyla ˈfī-lə How to pronounce phylum (audio)
1
a
: a direct line of descent within a group
b
: a group that constitutes or has the unity of a phylum
specifically : a primary category in biological taxonomy especially of animals that ranks above the class and below the kingdom compare division sense 10
2
: a group of languages related more remotely than those of a family or stock

Examples of phylum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Within that clade, most of these species are from the class Clostridia in the phylum Firmicutes, a phylum of bacteria important to gut health. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2024 Some simply retire, even healthy ones, although most successful, locked-in, paranoid (especially football) coaches belong to a phylum scientists cannot identify. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2024 An arm and a leg Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum of soft-bodied invertebrates. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2024 Millions of years ago, animals in this phylum—including starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins—were all bilateral. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023 This phylum of animals includes insects, crabs, shrimp, scorpions, spiders, and centipedes among others. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2023 The siphonophores are an order of organisms in the Cnidaria phylum that look like lumps or spirals of string. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023 Between 1909 and 1967, explorers and scientists began to classify the site, which contained the fossils of many early arthropods, the phylum shared by modern-day shrimp, lobsters, crabs and insects. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 9 Aug. 2023 Our phylum is Chordata, which includes any animal with a spinal cord. Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 12 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phylum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek phylon tribe, race — more at phyl-

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of phylum was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near phylum

Cite this Entry

“Phylum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phylum. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phylum

noun
phy·​lum ˈfī-ləm How to pronounce phylum (audio)
plural phyla -lə How to pronounce phylum (audio)
: a group of animals or in some classifications plants sharing one or more major characteristics that set them apart from all other animals or plants and forming one of the main categories in biological classification that ranks above the class and below the kingdom compare division sense 8

Medical Definition

phylum

noun
phy·​lum ˈfī-ləm How to pronounce phylum (audio)
plural phyla -lə How to pronounce phylum (audio)
: a major group of animals or in some classifications plants sharing one or more fundamental characteristics that set them apart from all other animals and plants and forming a primary category of the animal or plant kingdom
the phylum Arthropoda

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