PRONUNCIATION:

(fy-LOJ-uh-nee) 

MEANING:

noun: The evolutionary development of a species, a group of organisms, or a particular feature of an organism.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek phylo- (race, class) + -geny (origin). Phylogeny is very different fromphilogyny. Earliest documented use: 1869.

USAGE:

“Recognize your phylogeny. You are a Great Ape. We’re more related to gorillas than most warblers are to each other.”
Audrey Schulman; Three Weeks in December; Europa; 2012.