clade

\ ˈklād

How to pronounce clade (audio)

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Definition of clade

: a group of biological taxa (such as species) that includes all descendants of one common ancestor

Examples of clade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The study, which was published in Scientific Reports, also shed light on how the clade evolved and may have migrated, with its ancestors eventually spreading across Asia and North America. — Fox News, "New duck-billed dinosaur, Kamuysaurus japonicus, discovered by scientists," 6 Sep. 2019 Scientists are interested in what the Kamuysaurus japonicus can tell us about its clade, a taxonomic grouping of organisms with a common ancestor -- its branch on the tree of life, so to speak. — Kendall Trammell, CNN, "A new dinosaur has been unearthed, and it's the first of its kind," 5 Sep. 2019 Typically, clades develop when a species is separated by geological barriers, like drifting continents or rising mountains. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Glaciers Gave Us the Adorable, Handstanding Spotted Skunk," 5 May 2017 Their eyes are more similar to the eyes of nocturnal animals in other clades than to the eyes of animals that spend their time in the daylight. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Dinosaurs kept mammals in the dark," 10 Nov. 2017 According to a study published in Ecology and Evolution, the species exists in three genetic sub-groups, or clades. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Glaciers Gave Us the Adorable, Handstanding Spotted Skunk," 5 May 2017 When the skunks divided into clades approximately one million years ago, North America was covered with glaciers. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Glaciers Gave Us the Adorable, Handstanding Spotted Skunk," 5 May 2017 According to a study published in Ecology and Evolution, the species exists in three genetic sub-groups, or clades. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Glaciers Gave Us the Adorable, Handstanding Spotted Skunk," 5 May 2017 Hopes of sequencing the DNA of every living thing on earth are taking a step forward with the announcement of plans to sequence at least 10,000 genomes representing every major clade of plants and eukaryotic microbes. — Dennis Normile, Science | AAAS, "Plant scientists plan massive effort to sequence 10,000 genomes," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Clade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clade. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.

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