cladogenesis
|clad-o-gen-e-sis|
/ˌklædəˈdʒɛnəsɪs/
branching origin (formation of new lineages)
Etymology
'cladogenesis' originates from New (Modern) Latin and ultimately from Greek: Greek 'kládos' ('branch') + 'génesis' ('origin, birth').
'cladogenesis' was formed in scientific New Latin/Modern Latin from Greek elements and was adopted into English technical/scientific usage in the 19th–20th century to name branching forms of origin in evolutionary biology.
Initially it literally meant 'branching origin' (a compound of 'branch' + 'origin'); over time it came to refer specifically to the biological process of forming new taxa by lineage splitting (branching speciation).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the evolutionary splitting of a lineage into two or more distinct species or groups (branching speciation).
Cladogenesis is a primary mechanism explaining the rapid diversification of species on oceanic islands.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/17 09:22