Editing Monophyly (section)

== Etymology ==
The term ''monophyly'', or ''monophyletic'', derives from the two [[Ancient Greek]] words {{wikt-lang|grc|μόνος}} ({{grc-transl|μόνος}}), meaning "alone, only, unique", and {{wikt-lang|grc|φῦλον}} ({{grc-transl|φῦλον}}), meaning "genus, species",<ref name="Bailly-1981">{{Cite book |title=Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français |last=Bailly |first=Anatole |date=1981-01-01 |publisher=Hachette |isbn=978-2010035289 |location=Paris |oclc=461974285 }}</ref><ref name="Bailly">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tabularium.be/bailly/ |title=Greek-french dictionary online |last=Bailly |first=Anatole |website=www.tabularium.be |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref> and refers to the fact that a monophyletic group includes organisms (e.g., genera, species) consisting of all the descendants of a ''unique'' common ancestor.

Conversely, the term ''[[polyphyly]]'', or ''polyphyletic'', builds on the ancient Greek prefix {{wikt-lang|grc|πολύς}} ({{grc-transl|πολύς}}), meaning "many, a lot of",<ref name="Bailly-1981"/><ref name="Bailly"/> and refers to the fact that a polyphyletic group includes organisms arising from ''multiple'' ancestral sources.

By comparison, the term ''[[paraphyly]]'', or ''paraphyletic'', uses the ancient Greek prefix {{wikt-lang|grc|παρά}} ({{grc-transl|παρά}}), meaning "beside, near",<ref name="Bailly-1981"/><ref name="Bailly"/> and refers to the situation in which one or several monophyletic subgroups are ''left apart'' from all other descendants of a unique common ancestor. That is, a paraphyletic group is ''nearly'' monophyletic, hence the prefix ''{{grc-transl|παρά}}''.