phylogeny

[fahy-loj-uh-nee]

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noun

the development or evolution of a particular group of organisms.

the evolutionary history of a group of organisms, especially as depicted in a family tree.

Nearby words

Also phy·lo·gen·e·sis

[fahy-luh-jen-uh-sis] /ˌfaɪ ləˈdʒɛn ə sɪs/.

Compare ontogeny.

Origin of phylogeny

First recorded in 1865–70; phylo- + -geny

Related formsphy·lo·ge·net·ic

[fahy-luh-juh-net-ik] /ˌfaɪ lə dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/, phy·lo·ge·net·i·cal, phy·lo·gen·ic, adjectivephy·lo·ge·net·i·cal·ly, adverbphy·log·e·nist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phylogeny

This is the first phylogeny or genealogical tree ever published.
Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution|Alpheus Spring Packard
The Ontogeny of Caterpillars is a much abbreviated but slightly falsified repetition of the Phylogeny, 270.
Studies in the Theory of Descent (Volumes 1 and 2)|August Weismann
In turn, a new, and I hope more realistic, phylogeny and classification is offered.
Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae|Robert J. Russell
It is just here that ontogeny guides us with the greatest certainty on to the track of phylogeny.
The History of Creation, Vol. II (of 2)|Ernst Haeckel

If man really sprang from apes, according to the law of phylogeny, a child ought to be born with a hairy body.
Zones of the Spirit|August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for phylogeny

phylogeny

phylogenesis (ˌfaɪləʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs)

noun plural -nies or -geneses (-ˈdʒɛnɪˌsiːz)

biology the sequence of events involved in the evolution of a species, genus, etcCompare ontogeny

Derived Formsphylogenic (ˌfaɪləʊˈdʒɛnɪk) or phylogenetic (ˌfaɪləʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for phylogeny

C19: from phylo- + -geny

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

Word Origin and History for phylogeny

phylogeny

"genesis and evolution of a phylum," 1869, from German Phylogenie, coined 1866 by German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919) from Greek phylon "race" (see phylo-) + -geneia "origin," from -genes "born" (see genus). Related: Phylogenic.

Medicine definitions for phylogeny