apomorphy

American  

[ap-uh-mawr-fee] / ˈæp əˌmɔr fi /

noun

1. Biology, Taxonomy. a novel, specialized, unique evolutionary trait that can be taken as definitive of a group or species and its descendants.

   Speech is the trait often considered the apomorphy that unifies humans.

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Other Word Forms

• apomorphic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of apomorphy

First recorded in 1965–70; apo- ( def. ) + -morph ( def. ) + -y ³ ( def. )