phylogeny

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UK/faɪˈlɒd͡ʒəni/Canada, US/faɪˈlɑd͡ʒəni/

noun

The evolutionary history of groups of organisms, such as species or clades.

“Holonym: tree of life”

Similar
phylogenesisevolutionorganic evolution
OriginGerman Phylogenie ← Ancient Greek φῦλον →
Less commonScrabble 21
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Meanings

nounphylogeny (countable and uncountable, plural phylogenies)

plural phylogenies

  1. countableuncountablesystematicsThe evolutionary history of groups of organisms, such as species or clades.

    It was a bestiary more than a hundred years old, its entries organised by a quaintly outdated phylogeny and illustrated with hand-tinted plates.

    2022, Paul McAuley, Beyond the Burn Line, Gollancz, page 43
  2. countableinformaluncountablesystematicsA phylogenetic diagram.

    Holonym: tree of life

  3. countableuncountableThe historical development of a human social or racial group.

    Understanding the phylogeny of this musical group helps us understand its music.

  4. countableuncountableThe historical development of any thing, idea, etc.

    Indeed, in a recent review article, Mithen (2009) traces the phylogeny of human communication […]

    2010, The Journey of Child Development, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
phylogenesis

noun(biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms

Similar
evolutionorganic evolutionphylogenesis
Broader
organic processbiological process
Also see
evolutionphylogenesis

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekφῦλον“tribe, genus, species”
  2. GermanPhylogenie
  3. Englishphylogeny

Borrowed from German Phylogenie, coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1866, a neologism created as if borrowed from a Classic Greek word φυλογένεια (phulogéneia), composed from Ancient Greek φῦλον (phûlon, “tribe, genus, species”) + -γένεια (-géneia, “-geny (generation, production)”), equivalent to phylo- + -geny.

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian филоге́ния
  • филоге́ния (filogénija)evolutionary history of an organism
Catalan filogènia
  • filogèniaevolutionary history of an organism
Czech fylogeneze
  • fylogenezeevolutionary history of an organism
Dutch fylogenie
  • fylogenieevolutionary history of an organism
Finnish lajinkehitys, fylogenia
  • lajinkehitysevolutionary history of an organism
  • fylogeniaevolutionary history of an organism
French phylogénie
  • phylogénieevolutionary history of an organism
German Phylogenie
  • Phylogenieevolutionary history of an organism
Hebrew פִילוֹגֶנֶזָה
  • פִילוֹגֶנֶזָהevolutionary history of an organism
Hungarian törzsfejlődés
  • törzsfejlődésevolutionary history of an organism
Irish fíligineacht
  • fíligineachtevolutionary history of an organism
Italian filogenesi, filogenia
  • filogenesievolutionary history of an organism
  • filogeniaevolutionary history of an organism
Māori kukuwhatanga
  • kukuwhatangaevolutionary history of an organism
Polish filogeneza
  • filogenezaevolutionary history of an organism
Portuguese filogenia
  • filogeniaevolutionary history of an organism
Romanian filogenie
  • filogenieevolutionary history of an organism
Russian филоге́ния, филогене́тика
  • филоге́ния (filogénija)evolutionary history of an organism
  • филогене́тика (filogenɛ́tika)evolutionary history of an organism
Spanish filogenia
  • filogeniaevolutionary history of an organism
Swedish fylogeni
  • fylogenievolutionary history of an organism
Tagalog lipmulaan
  • lipmulaanevolutionary history of an organism
Cite this entry
APA

phylogeny. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylogeny

MLA

“phylogeny.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylogeny. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phylogeny,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylogeny.

Source: phylogeny on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.