diphyletic

American

[dahy-fahy-let-ik] / ˌdaɪ faɪˈlɛt ɪk /

adjective

Biology.

of or relating to a taxonomic group of organisms derived from two separate ancestral lines.

diphyletic British

/ ˌdaɪfaɪˈlɛtɪk /

adjective

relating to or characterized by descent from two ancestral groups of animals or plants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of diphyletic

First recorded in 1900–05; di- ¹ + phyletic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023