clade

American  

[kleyd] / kleɪd /

noun

Biology.

1. a taxonomic group of organisms classified together on the basis of homologous features traced to a common ancestor.

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clade British  

/ kleɪd /

noun

1. biology a group of organisms considered as having evolved from a common ancestor

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clade Scientific  

/ klād /

1. A grouping of organisms made on the basis of their presumed evolutionary history, rather than purely on shared features. Clades consist of a common ancestor and all its descendants. The class Aves (birds) is a clade, but the class Reptilia (reptiles) is not, since it does not include birds, which are descended from the dinosaurs, a kind of reptile. Many modern taxonomists prefer to use clades in classification, and not all clades correspond to traditional groups like classes, orders, and phyla.

2. Compare grade

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Etymology

Origin of clade

First recorded in 1957, clade is from the Greek word kládos branch

Example Sentences

Since November 2024, there have been 12 reported cases of clade I monkeypox in the U.S., while clade II is “circulating at low levels,” per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

This also expands the known diversity of the European clade Rhabdodontia.

From Science Daily • Feb. 3, 2026

A preprint out this week indicates currently circulating clade 2.3.4.4b viruses are better at binding to human epithelial cells in the airways than previous versions of H5N1.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 5, 2024

Health officials have analysed what could happen if the more dangerous and transmissible clade 1b variant of mpox spreads to the UK.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024

Quidni! peremptum clade tuentibus Plus semper illo qui moritur pati Datur, doloris dum profundos Pervia mens aperit recessus.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 5 Tour to the Hebrides (1773) and Journey into North Wales (1774) by Boswell, James