phylogeny

Definition

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

Etymology

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”) + Ancient Greek -γένεια (-géneia, “-geny (generation, production)”).

Example Sentences

• "It was a bestiary more than a hundred years old, its entries organised by a quaintly outdated phylogeny and illustrated with hand-tinted plates."
• "Holonym: tree of life"
• "Understanding the phylogeny of this musical group helps us understand its music."

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