n., pl., -la (-lə).
- Biology. A primary division of a kingdom, as of the animal kingdom, ranking next above a class in size.
- Linguistics. A large division of possibly genetically related families of languages or linguistic stocks.
[New Latin phȳlum, from Greek phūlon, class.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
