Definition of "phylum" [phy•lum]

• Biology A primary division of a kingdom, as of the animal kingdom, ranking next above a class in size. See Table at taxonomy. (noun)
• Linguistics A large division of possibly genetically related families of languages or linguistic stocks. (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.

• "Types of animals that have the same body plan are generally grouped together in the same phylum, which is the biological classification right under kingdom kingdom divides organisms into bacteria, plants, animals, and a few other categories."
• "The paper above also discusses the problem of the concept of a phylum, which is highly artificial and has lead to much confusion."
• "Phoenix photoelectric effect photon photosynthesis phrase phylum"