phylon

P3H4Y4L1O1N1
/ˈfaɪlɒn/

noun

All of the organisms descending from a given common ancestor, regarded as a race, tribe, vel sim.; a clade.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:phylon.”

OriginLate Latin phȳlon ← Ancient Greek φῦλον →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounphylon (plural phyla)

plural phyla

  1. obsoletebiologyAll of the organisms descending from a given common ancestor, regarded as a race, tribe, vel sim.; a clade.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:phylon.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekφῦλον“race, tribe”
  2. Late Latinphȳlon
  3. Englishphylon

From Late Latin phȳlon (a synonym of tribus, whence the English tribe), from Ancient Greek φῦλον (phûlon, “race, tribe”), whence the English phylum.

More words from Late Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Phylon
  • Phylonall the descendant organisms of a given ancestor — see also clade
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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