| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|fī|led.ik adjective
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary polyphyl- (from Greek polyphylos of many tribes, from poly- + phylē tribe, race) + -etic; originally formed as German polyphyletisch — more at phyl-
: of or relating to more than one stock : derived (as by convergence) from more than one ancestral line — opposed to monophyletic
• poly·phy·let·i·cal·ly -d.ə̇k(ə)lē adverb
• poly·phy·let·i·cism ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ˈled.əˌsizəm noun -s