Cladistics
/kləˈdɪs.tɪks/noun
A method of classifying organisms according to their shared evolutionary ancestry and branching relationships.
Did you know?The term comes from Ancient Greek klados, “branch,” echoing the visual tree used to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kelh₁-
“To strike, cut, or break; a proposed root behind Greek terms connected with cutting and branching.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kládos
“A branch, twig, or shoot; literally something split or broken off.”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
clad-
“A combining form derived from Greek klados, used in botanical and biological terminology for branches or branching structures.”
1950s
German
Kladistik
“A biological classification method based on branching evolutionary relationships, associated especially with Willi Hennig.”
20th Century
English
cladistics
“The systematic study and classification of organisms by shared derived characteristics and common ancestry.”