phylum
/ˈfʌɪləm
/noun (plural phyla /ˈfʌɪlə/)
1 Zoology A principal taxonomic category that ranks above class and below kingdom, equivalent to the division in botany.The superphylum Deuterostomia contains the diverse phyla Chordata and Echinodermata and the minor phyla Hemichordata and Urochordata....
- In the animal kingdom there are many phyla, and the mammals come into a phylum called the chordates.
- Arthropods, chordates and annelids are the three segmented phyla in the animal kingdom.
2 Linguistics A group of languages related to each other less closely than those forming a family, especially one in which the relationships are unclear.Na-Dene is one of the most widely distributed language phyla in North America....
- Within a phylum, however, it may also be necessary to recognize some languages that have no close relatives and do not fall into families.
Origin
Late 19th century: modern Latin from Greek, phulon 'race'.