phyle

noun

phy·le ˈfī-(ˌ)lē

plural phylae ˈfī-(ˌ)lē

: the largest political subdivision among the ancient Athenians

Examples of phyle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Some have promiscuously accused the red phyle of hate speech and white supremacy, rendering the terms less powerful when required to describe the real thing. —

Michael Gerson, Alaska Dispatch News, 19 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Greek phylē tribe, phyle

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of phyle was in 1851

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Phyle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phyle. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

scintilla

Listen to the pronunciation of scintilla

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!