cladistics

noun

cla·​dis·​tics klə-ˈdi-stiks 

kla-

plural in form but singular in construction

: a system of biological taxonomy that defines taxa uniquely by shared characteristics not found in ancestral groups and uses inferred evolutionary relationships to arrange taxa in a branching hierarchy such that all members of a given taxon have the same ancestors

cladist

ˈkla-dist  ˈklā- 

noun

cladistic

klə-ˈdi-stik 

kla-

adjective

cladistically

klə-ˈdi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

kla-

adverb

Word History

Etymology

clade + -ist(ic) + -ics

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above