Standard Lemma guide

phyle

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfaɪli/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: Filey
  • CMU ARPABET: F AY1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A local division of the people; a clan or tribe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Ancient Greece

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A subdivision of the priestly caste in ancient Egypt, headed by a phylarch.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a tribe of ancient Athenians

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tribe, folk

History

Etymology

From New Latin phȳlē, from Ancient Greek φῡλή (phūlḗ, “a union of individuals into a community”).