paraphyletic
[ păr′ə-fī-lĕt′ĭk ]
Relating to a taxonomic group that includes some but not all of the descendants of a common ancestor. In the traditional taxonomy of vertebrates, where fish are a separate class from the classes of terrestrial vertebrates, the class of fish is paraphyletic, since the terrestrial vertebrates are descended from a type of fish. Compare monophyletic polyphyletic.
Words nearby paraphyletic
paraphimosis,
paraphrase,
paraphrasis,
paraphrast,
paraphrastic,
paraphyletic,
paraphysis,
paraplanner,
paraplegia,
paraplegic,
parapodium