Phylogenetic
/ˌfaɪ.loʊ.dʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/noun
Relating to the evolutionary history and relationships of organisms or groups of organisms.
Did you know?The term entered modern biology through Ernst Haeckel’s 1866 concept of *Phylogenie*, built from Greek roots meaning a group or race and coming into being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“To give birth, beget, or come into existence”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phýō
“I grow or bring forth”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phûlon
“A race, tribe, or group understood as sharing origin”
Ancient Greek
Greek
génesis
“Origin, birth, or coming into being”
1866
German
Phylogenie / phylogenetisch
“Evolutionary history or relating to evolutionary descent, introduced in biological scholarship”
Late 19th Century
English
phylogenetic
“Relating to evolutionary descent and relationships”