Clade
/kleɪd/noun
A group of organisms consisting of a common ancestor and all of its descendants.
Did you know?The biological sense of “clade” was coined in the 1950s by German entomologist Willi Hennig, founder of modern cladistics.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κλάδος (kládos)
“Branch, twig, or shoot”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κλάω (kláō)
“To break or break off”
19th Century
Scientific English
clad-
“A combining form referring to branches or branching structures”
1950s
German
Kladus
“A taxonomic group defined by descent from a common ancestor”
1950s
English
clade
“A group consisting of an ancestor and all its descendants”
Modern English
English
clade
“A branch of the evolutionary tree, including a common ancestor and its descendants”
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