Cladogram

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among species by branching paths based on shared features
2. A tree-like graphic used to convey the evolutionary connections and lineages of various organisms through their shared traits
3. A visual representation depicting the phylogenetic relationships among organisms through a branching structure that highlights common characteristics

Etymology: A cladogram is a compound built from two Greek-derived pieces: "klados," meaning "branch," and the suffix "-gram," from "gramma," meaning "something written or drawn." Put together, the name literally means "branch drawing," which suits a diagram whose forking lines show how groups of organisms split off from common ancestors. The first half comes from the same Greek root that gives English "clad" in a different sense only by coincidence; the useful connection is to "clade," the technical term for a group that includes an ancestor and all its descendants. Biologists build cladograms to show which features are shared and which lineages branched apart, so each fork marks a point of divergence rather than a rung on a ladder of progress.

Synonyms: phylogenetic tree, tree diagram