phyl-

¹

1. variant of phylo- before a vowel:

   phylic.

-phyl

²

1. variant of -phyll.

Example Sentences

Tom was able to assist Phyl, and Sandy by now had recovered her faculties.

From Project Gutenberg

From the first roll of the pebble that had announced the presence of a third party, Phyl had experienced surprise after surprise.

From Project Gutenberg

Phyl would not move a single step of the way to meet him, lest they take advantage of her absence to keep up the firing.

From Project Gutenberg

But you want to remember one thing—if anything happens to you I cayn't square it with Phyl.

From Project Gutenberg

As Jim descended from the rostrum, his roving gaze fell on Phyl Sanderson standing in the doorway.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -phyl

What does -phyl mean?

The combining form –phyl is used like a suffix meaning “leaf.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form –phyl comes from Greek phýllon, meaning “leaf.” The Latin cognate of phýllon is folium, also meaning “leaf,” which is the source of words such as foil, foliage, and folio. To learn more, check out our entries for these three terms.

What are variants of –phyl?

In most instances, –phyl is spelled with an additional terminal –l, becoming –phyll, as in microphyll.

When combined as the first element of the word, the form –phyl becomes phyllo– or phyll–, as in phyllophore. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on –phyl, phyllo-, and phyl-.

Examples of -phyl

An example of a term you may have come across that features the form –phyl is chlorophyl, also spelled chlorophyll, “the green coloring matter of leaves and plants.”

The chloro– part of the word chlorophyl means “green,” from Greek chlōrós. As we have seen, the form –phyl means “leaf.” Chlorophyl literally translates to “green leaf.”

What are some words that use the combining form –phyl?

• coleophyl
• sporophyl
• xanthophyl (using the equivalent form of –phyll in French)

What are some other forms that –phyll may be commonly confused with?

• -phily
• -phyte

Break it down!

The combining form xantho– means “yellow.” With this in mind, what does xanthophyl literally mean?