phylum

phylum [ FAHY-luh'm ]
[ noun ]

MEANING :
1. a primary division of the plant or animal kingdom
2. a large division of genetically related families of languages or linguistic stocks
3. a group of organisms ranking above a class and below a kingdom or the second-largest division of biological classification

USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
The biology students were asked to examine the six organisms on the table and then identify the phylum to which each specimen belonged.

USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :
The creature, first discovered in a small industrial cooling tower on the outskirts of the city, could qualify for a new ""domain"" in the tree of life - where a domain is a bigger category than a kingdom or a phylum.