polytomy
Americannoun
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the act or process of dividing into more than three parts.
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the state or condition of being so divided.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of polytomy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A branch with more than two lineages is called a polytomy and serves to illustrate where scientists have not definitively determined all of the relationships.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
A branch with more than two lineages is a polytomy.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
It is important to note that although sister taxa and polytomy do share an ancestor, it does not mean that the groups of organisms split or evolved from each other.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
The next branch forks at one point into four different lineages, an example of polytomy.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
