| phyla |
pl. of phylum. |
| phylactery |
one of two small leather boxes worn strapped on the left arm and forehead by religious Jewish men during regular morning worship, that contain pieces of parchment bearing passages from Scripture. [2 definitions] |
| -phyll |
leaf. |
| phyllo |
very thin sheets of dough, which produce a flaky pastry when baked for desserts or the like. |
| phyllo- |
leaf. |
| phyllome |
a leaf or similarly functioning structure of a plant. |
| phyllotaxis |
phyllotaxy. |
| phyllotaxy |
the arrangement of plant leaves along a stem, or the principles governing this arrangement. [2 definitions] |
| -phyllous |
having leaves of (such) a type or number. |
| phylloxera |
any of a widely distributed family of insects that feed on the leaves and roots of certain plants, esp. the grapevine. |
| phylo- |
race; type. |
| phylogeny |
the evolution or historical development of a plant or animal species or a human tribe or similar group. (Cf. ontogeny.) |
| phylum |
the principal subdivision of animals, and of some classifications of plants, according to their major shared characteristics, each subdivision containing one or more classes. [2 definitions] |
| phys. ed. |
abbreviation of "physical education." |
| physic |
a drug or medicine, esp. a purgative or strong laxative. [3 definitions] |
| physical |
of the body. [4 definitions] |
| physical anthropology |
the branch of anthropology concerned with the evolutionary development of humans, physical differences between races, and classifications. (Cf. cultural anthropology.) |
| physical chemistry |
a branch of chemistry in which physical principles and techniques are applied to the analysis of chemical properties and transformations. |
| physical comedy |
comedic performance that uses the body to express exaggerated emotional states. |
| physical dependence |
a body's adaptation to a chronically-used drug such that withdrawal of the drug results in adverse physical symptoms. |
| physical education |
instruction in sports, exercise, and the care and hygiene of the human body, esp. as a course or program in a school or college. |