Editing Polyphyly (section)

== Etymology ==
The term ''polyphyly'', or ''polyphyletic'', derives from the two [[ancient greek|Ancient Greek]] words {{wikt-lang|grc|πολύς}} ({{grc-transl|πολύς}}) 'many, a lot of', and {{wikt-lang|grc|φῦλον}} ({{grc-transl|φῦλον}}) 'genus, species',<ref name="Bailly1981">{{Cite book |last=Bailly |first=Anatole |title=Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français |date=1981-01-01 |publisher=[[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]] |isbn=978-2010035289 |location=Paris |oclc=461974285}}</ref><ref name="Tabularium">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tabularium.be/bailly/ |title=Greek-French dictionary online |last=Bailly |first=Anatole |website=www.tabularium.be |access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref> and refers to the fact that a polyphyletic group includes organisms (e.g., genera, species) arising from ''multiple'' ancestral sources.

Conversely, the term ''[[monophyly]]'', or ''monophyletic'', employs the ancient Greek adjective {{wikt-lang|grc|μόνος}} ({{grc-transl|μόνος}}) 'alone, only, unique',<ref name="Bailly1981"/><ref name="Tabularium"/> and refers to the fact that a monophyletic group includes organisms consisting of all the descendants of a ''unique'' common ancestor.

By comparison, the term ''[[paraphyly]]'', or ''paraphyletic'', uses the ancient Greek preposition {{wikt-lang|grc|παρά}} ({{grc-transl|παρά}}) 'beside, near',<ref name="Bailly1981"/><ref name="Tabularium"/> and refers to the situation in which one or several monophyletic subgroups are ''left apart'' from all other descendants of a unique common ancestor.