monophyletic

[ mon-oh-fahy-let-ik ]

/ ˌmɒn oʊ faɪˈlɛt ɪk /

adjective

Biology. consisting of organisms descended from a single taxon.

Nearby words

Origin of monophyletic

First recorded in 1870–75; mono- + phyletic

Related formsmon·o·phy·le·tism

[mon-uh-fahy-li-tiz-uh m, -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. 2019

Examples from the Web for monophyletic

On the question as to whether descent was monophyletic or polyphyletic Darwin expressed no dogmatic opinion.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
It is generally believed that the Arthropoda constitute a natural, monophyletic group.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites|Percy Edward Raymond
The problem of the monophyletic or polyphyletic origin of the human race has also been much discussed.
Evolution in Modern Thought|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

Medicine definitions for monophyletic

monophyletic

[ mŏn′ō-fī-lĕt′ĭk ]

adj.

Descended or derived from one original stock or source.

Of or being the theory that all blood cells are derived from one common stem cell.

Related formsmon′o•phy′le•tism (-fī′lĭ-tĭz′əm) n.

Science 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.