Cladogram
/ˈklædəɡræm/noun
A branching diagram that represents hypothesized evolutionary relationships among organisms or groups.
Did you know?Its second half, -gram, comes from Greek grámma, “a written mark,” the same ancient root behind grammar and graph.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kládos
“Branch or young shoot”
Ancient Greek
Greek
grámma
“Something written, a letter, or written mark”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
clad-
“A combining form referring to branches, derived from Greek kládos”
19th Century
Scientific Greek/Latin
-gram
“A written record, mark, or diagram, from Greek grámma”
1950s
English
cladogram
“A diagram showing branching relationships, especially evolutionary relationships”
Modern English
English
cladogram
“A branching representation of hypothesized common ancestry”