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Glite Dictionary
cladogram

cladogram

1 9.9
A chart with branches that shows how different species are related by shared traits
  • noun
  • /ˈklædəˌɡræm/
  • Specialized
: cladograma
  • The cladogram indicated that birds are closely related to reptiles, highlighting their evolutionary connection.

Examples

  • A cladogram visually represents the evolutionary relationships between different species based on their shared traits.

  • A cladogram, a diagram that shows evolutionary branching points, depicts probable interrelations among living families and other large groups in the order Squamata, as well as their shared ancestry with the Rynchocephalia, once a much more widespread and diverse group.

    Academic text (2006)

  • And when I create a cladogram for my own hands, then we've not been able to find any two hands yet that are the same.

  • The resulting cladogram suggested the emergence of four distinct lineages within the Central African clade.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Scientists use a cladogram to illustrate how species are related through common ancestry.

Surface Forms

cladogram singular
cladograms plural

Morphology

cladogram = clade + clade (semi-transparent) = clado + gram

The word is built from the scientific base 'clade' (represented as the combining form 'clado-') plus '-gram' meaning 'drawing/diagram'; both elements are technical combining forms so the composition is clear to those with biological knowledge but not to average learners.

Etymology

Cladogram comes from Greek parts clado- meaning 'branch' and -gram meaning 'drawing' or 'written thing', like in diagram. So a cladogram is a 'branch drawing' that shows how different species are related.