phylum

American  

[fahy-luhm] / ˈfaɪ ləm /

noun

plural

phyla

1. Biology. the primary subdivision of a taxonomic kingdom, grouping together all classes of organisms that have the same body plan.

2. Linguistics. a category consisting of language stocks that, because of cognates in vocabulary, are considered likely to be related by common origin.

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phylum British  

/ ˈfaɪləm /

noun

1. a major taxonomic division of living organisms that contain one or more classes. An example is the phylum Arthropoda (insects, crustaceans, arachnids, etc, and myriapods)

2. any analogous group, such as a group of related language families or linguistic stocks

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phylum Scientific  

/ fī′ləm /

plural

phyla

1. A group of organisms ranking above a class and below a kingdom.

2. See Table at taxonomy

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phylum Cultural  

1. plur. phyla One of the major divisions of the kingdoms of living things; the second-largest standard unit of biological classification. The arthropods, chordates, and mollusks are phyla. Phyla in the plant kingdom are frequently called divisions. (See Linnean classification.)

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Other Word Forms

• phylar adjective

Etymology

Origin of phylum

1875–80; < New Latin < Greek phŷlon tribe, stock; phylon

Example Sentences

Crinoids are part of the phylum Echinodermata which also boasts sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

With more than 250,000 known species, nematodes comprise the world's most abundant animal phylum in both aquatic and terrestrial biospheres.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

Scientists have known for some time that animals in the phylum Cnidaria—which includes jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones—are capable of basic forms of learning when repeatedly presented with a stimulus in their environment.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 22, 2023

However, Moysiuk says these might have been comb jellies from the Ctenophora phylum, rather than the Cnidaria phylum which includes jellyfish, corals and sea anemones.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2023

The most populous phylum in our locker room, the Kilt Pins took up three rows of lockers.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides