[phy.lum] n, pl phy.la [NL, fr. Gk phylon tribe, race--more at phyl-] (1876) 1 a: a direct line of descent within a group b: a group that constitutes or has the unity of a phylum; esp: one of the usu. primary divisions of the animal kingdom
2: a group of languages related more remotely than those of a family or stock