phylum

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: phy=lum

CIDE DICTIONARY

phylum, n. [NL. See Phylon.].

•  One of the larger divisions of the animal kingdom; a branch; a grand division.  [1913 Webster]
•  A series of animals or plants genetically connected.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

phylum, n. (pl. phyla) Biol. a taxonomic rank below kingdom comprising a class or classes and subordinate taxa.

Etymology

mod.L f. Gk phulon race

THESAURUS

phylum

affiliation, antonomasia, apparentation, binomial nomenclature, biological classification, biosystematics, biosystematy, biotype, birth, blood, bloodline, branch, brand, breed, cast, character, clan, class, classification, color, common ancestry, consanguinity, denomination, derivation, descent, description, designation, direct line, distaff side, extraction, family, feather, female line, filiation, form, genotype, genre, genus, glossology, grain, house, ilk, kidney, kin, kind, kingdom, label, line, line of descent, lineage, lot, make, male line, manner, mark, mold, nature, nomenclature, number, onomastics, onomatology, order, orismology, persuasion, place-names, place-naming, polyonymy, race, section, seed, sept, series, shape, side, sort, spear side, species, spindle side, stamp, stem, stirps, stock, strain, stripe, style, subclass, subfamily, subgenus, subkingdom, suborder, subspecies, subtribe, succession, superclass, superfamily, superorder, superspecies, sword side, systematics, taxonomy, terminology, the like of, the likes of, toponymy, tribe, trinomialism, type, variety