polyphyletic

[ pol-ee-fahy-let-ik ]

adjective

1. developed from more than one ancestral type, as a group of animals.

polyphyletic

/ ˌpɒlɪfaɪˈlɛtɪk /

adjective

1. biology relating to or characterized by descent from more than one ancestral group of animals or plants

polyphyletic

/ pŏl′ē-fī-lĕt′ĭk /

1. Relating to a taxonomic group that does not include the common ancestor of the members of the group and whose members have two or more separate origins. A group that consists of flying vertebrates would be polyphyletic, as bats and birds independently evolved flight and do not share a common ancestor.
2. Compare monophyletic

Derived Forms

• ˌpolyphyˈletically, adverb

Other Words From

• poly·phy·leti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyphyletic¹

First recorded in 1870–75; poly- + phyletic

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyphyletic¹

C19: from poly- + phyletic

Example Sentences

Griffiths clearly showed that Noble's Brachycephalidae was a polyphyletic assemblage.

From Project Gutenberg

The mystic notion that the human soul will live forever after death has had a polyphyletic origin.

From Project Gutenberg

The problem of the monophyletic or polyphyletic origin of the human race has also been much discussed.

From Project Gutenberg

The real difficulty of classification of the fungi lies in the polyphyletic nature of the group.

From Project Gutenberg

A collective polyphyletic or heterogeneous group, originally cosmopolitan; with certainty existing since the Miocene.

From Project Gutenberg