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

Words nearby monophyletic

monophonic, monophony, monophosphate, monophthong, monophthongize, monophyletic, monophyllous, Monophysite, Monophysitism, monoplane, monoplegia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use monophyletic in a sentence

The problem of the monophyletic or polyphyletic origin of the human race has also been much discussed.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
It is generally believed that the Arthropoda constitute a natural, monophyletic group.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites|Percy Edward Raymond
Columbids are almost unquestionably monophyletic, and two lines would have had to diverge and then converge.
Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves|Robert L. Merz
But it is very difficult (and at present impossible) to explain a natural monophyletic system of this large legion.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, Second Part: Subclass Osculosa; Index|Ernst Haeckel

All the Catarrhin, or Eastern Simi, form one natural monophyletic group.
The Last Link|Ernst Haeckel

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-lĕt′ĭk ]

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.