ETYM New Lat. Related to Phylon.
(Irregular plural: phyla).
1. (Biology) The major taxonomic group of animals and plants; contains classes.
2. (Linguistics) A large group of languages that are historically related.
Largest subdivision of natural kingdom.
Major grouping in biological classification. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and tunicates belong to the phylum Chordata; the phylum Molluska consists of snails, slugs, mussels, clams, squid, and octopuses; the phylum Porifera contains sponges; and the phylum Echinodermata includes sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. Among plants there are between four and nine phyla (or divisions) depending on the classification used. Related phyla are grouped together in a kingdom; phyla are subdivided into classes.