# phylogeny

> English word · Noun · IPA /faɪˈlɒd͡ʒəni/ · frequency rank #53,164

## Definitions
1. The evolutionary history of groups of organisms, such as species or clades.
2. A phylogenetic diagram.
3. The historical development of a human social or racial group.
4. The historical development of any thing, idea, etc.

## 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)”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/phylogeny