Editing Paraphyly (section)

== Etymology ==

The term ''paraphyly'', or ''paraphyletic'', derives from the two [[Ancient Greek]] words {{wikt-lang|grc|παρά}} ({{grc-transl|παρά}}), meaning "beside, near", and {{wikt-lang|grc|φῦλον}} ({{grc-transl|φῦλον}}), meaning "genus, species",<ref name="Bailly1981">{{Cite book |title=Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français |last=Bailly |first=Anatole |date=1 January 1981 |publisher=Hachette |isbn=978-2-01-003528-9 |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=8 March 2018}}</ref> and refers to the situation in which one or several monophyletic subgroups of organisms (e.g., genera, species) are ''left apart'' from all other descendants of a unique common ancestor.

Conversely, the term ''[[monophyly]]'', or ''monophyletic'', builds on the Ancient Greek prefix {{wikt-lang|grc|μόνος}} ({{grc-transl|μόνος}}), meaning "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 ''[[polyphyly]]'', or ''polyphyletic'', uses the Ancient Greek prefix {{wikt-lang|grc|πολύς}} ({{grc-transl|πολύς}}), meaning "many, a lot of",<ref name= "Bailly1981"/><ref name= "Tabularium"/> and refers to the fact that a polyphyletic group includes organisms arising from ''multiple'' ancestral sources.