1. Plural of monophyly; instances or groups of organisms that share a common ancestor and include all descendants of that ancestor, forming a single evolutionary lineage.
Usage: technical; biology; evolutionary biology

Examples

• The study identified several monophylies within the primate family tree.
• Evolutionary biologists use monophylies to classify organisms based on shared ancestry.
• These monophylies represent distinct branches in the phylogenetic tree.
• The researchers confirmed that the species formed true monophylies rather than polyphyletic groups.
• Molecular data supported the existence of multiple monophylies in the genus.