Phylum

[fahy-luh m] /ˈfaɪ ləm/

noun, plural phyla
[fahy-luh] /ˈfaɪ lə/ (Show IPA)
1.
Biology. the primary subdivision of a taxonomic kingdom, grouping together all classes of organisms that have the same body plan.
2.
Linguistics. a category consisting of language stocks that, because of cognates in vocabulary, are considered likely to be related by common origin.
Compare (def 13).
/ˈfaɪləm/
noun (pl) -la (-lə)
1.
a major taxonomic division of living organisms that contain one or more classes. An example is the phylum Arthropoda (insects, crustaceans, arachnids, etc, and myriapods)
2.
any analogous group, such as a group of related language families or linguistic stocks
n.

“division of the plant or animal kingdom,” 1868, Modern Latin, coined by French naturalist Georges Léopole Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert, Baron Cuvier (1769-1832) from Greek phylon “race, stock,” related to phyle “tribe, clan” (see physic). The immediate source of the English word probably is from German.

phylum phy·lum (fī’ləm)
n. pl. phy·la (-lə)
A taxonomic category that is a primary division of a kingdom and ranks above a class in size.
phylum
(fī’ləm)
Plural phyla
A group of organisms ranking above a class and below a kingdom. See Table at taxonomy.
phylum [(feye-luhm)]

plur. phyla

One of the major divisions of the kingdoms of living things; the second-largest standard unit of biological classification. The arthropods, chordates, and mollusks are phyla. Phyla in the plant kingdom are frequently called divisions. (See Linnean classification.)