Meanings
adjectivepolyphyletic (comparative more polyphyletic, superlative most polyphyletic)
comparative more polyphyletic · superlative most polyphyletic
- biologyHaving multiple ancestral sources; referring to a taxon that does not contain the most recent common ancestor of its members.
Synonyms: pleophyletic
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving multiple ancestral sources; referring to a taxon that does not contain the most recent common ancestor of its members.
Similar
Also see
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*polh₁ús
- Ancient Greekπολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)
- Englishpoly-
- Englishphyletic
- Englishpolyphyletic
Translations
Dutch polyfyletisch
- polyfyletischhaving multiple ancestral sources
Finnish polyfyleettinen
- polyfyleettinenhaving multiple ancestral sources
German polyphyletisch
- polyphyletischhaving multiple ancestral sources
Vietnamese đa ngành
- đa ngànhhaving multiple ancestral sources
Cite this entry
APA
polyphyletic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyphyletic
MLA
“polyphyletic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyphyletic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polyphyletic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyphyletic.
Source: polyphyletic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.