cladogram

[ klad-uh-gram, kley-duh- ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a branching diagram depicting the successive points of species divergence from common ancestral lines without regard to the degree of deviation.

cladogram

/ ˈkleɪdəʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. biology a treelike diagram illustrating the development of a clade See clade

cladogram

/ klăd′ə-grăm′,klā′də- /

1. A branching treelike diagram used to illustrate evolutionary (phylogenetic) relationships among organisms. Each node, or point of divergence, has two branching lines of descendance, indicating evolutionary divergence from a common ancestor. The endpoints of the tree represent individual species, and any node together with its descendant branches and subbranches constitutes a clade.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cladogram¹

First recorded in 1965–70; clado- + -gram ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cladogram¹

C20: from clade + -o- + -gram