noun pl. phyla -·la (-lə)

1. a major category in the classification of living organisms, esp. animals, ranking above a class and below a kingdom: it can include one class or many similar classes: the Latinized phylum names are capitalized but not italicized (Ex.: Arthropoda, arthropods)
2. 1. a language stock
   2. loosely a language family

Etymology: ModL, coined by Baron Georges (Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert) Cuvier < Gr phylon, tribe: see phylo-