Holophyly

Holophyletic is a term posited as a semantically correct replacement for the term monophyletic as used by cladists (which differs from the usage of evolutionary systematists). It originated amidst confusion over the correct definition for 'monophyletic group'; many definitions were available, of varying degrees of restrictiveness, and 'holophyletic' was posited as a term to describe the definition with scientific utility. The least scientifically useful definition, which is arguably the semantically correct one, considers any organisms with a common ancestor to be a monophyletic group. Since it is presumed that one could find a common ancestor from any group of organisms if one goes far enough into the past, this definition implicitly or explicitly constrains what is a legitimate common ancestor, for example by requiring the common ancestor to share a derived trait (synapomorphy) which defines the group.

The term holophyletic has not gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community, probably because the term 'monophyletic' is so widely used with the same widely understood meaning.