clade

noun

ˈklād 

: 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

One resident has tested positive for mpox clade I, one of the two main genetic groups (clades) of the mpox virus, which causes the illness. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026

The first case of mpox clade I has been detected in New York City, health officials said Friday. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026

The Upper Cretaceous units of the Bauru Group in Brazil boast one of the most impressive fossil records of reptilian clades, according to a new study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Mar. 2026

In Tuscany, the most common clade — or group that shares a common ancestor — belongs to the R haplogroup, which consists of about half of all males living there today. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek kládos "branch, sprig, frond," after cladogenesis — more at clado-

Note: The term was introduced by Julian huxley in "The Three Types of Evolutionary Process," Nature, vol. 180, no. 4584 (September 7, 1957), p. 455.

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for clade

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade
• glade