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monophyletic

[ mon-oh-fahy-let-ik ]
/ ˌmɒn oʊ faɪˈlɛt ɪk /
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adjective
Biology. consisting of organisms descended from a single taxon.
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Origin of monophyletic

First recorded in 1870–75; mono- + phyletic

OTHER WORDS FROM monophyletic

mon·o·phy·le·tism [mon-uh-fahy-li-tiz-uhm, -fil-i-], /ˌmɒn əˈfaɪ lɪˌtɪz əm, -ˈfɪl ɪ-/, mon·o·phy·le·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use monophyletic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for monophyletic

monophyletic
/ (ˌmɒnəʊfaɪˈlɛtɪk) /

adjective
relating to or characterized by descent from a single ancestral group of animals or plants
(of animals or plants) of or belonging to a single stock
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

Scientific definitions for monophyletic

monophyletic
[ mŏn′ō-fī-lĕtĭk ]

Relating to a taxonomic group that contains all the descendants of a single common ancestor. All clades, such as birds and placental mammals, are monophyletic. Compare paraphyletic polyphyletic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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