Definition of "phylogeny" [phylogeny]

• The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms. Also called phylogenesis. (noun)
• The evolutionary development of an organ or other part of an organism: the phylogeny of the amphibian intestinal tract. (noun)
• The historical development of a tribe or racial group. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Understanding a phylogeny is a lot like reading a family tree."
• "Professor Haeckel in his Generelle Morphologie and in other works, has recently brought his great knowledge and abilities to bear on what he calls phylogeny, or the lines of descent of all organic beings."
• "Professor Haeckel in his “Generelle Morphologie” and in another works, has recently brought his great knowledge and abilities to bear on what he calls phylogeny, or the lines of descent of all organic beings."