In phylogenetics, a synapomorphy is a shared derived character or trait state that distinguishes a clade from other organisms. In other words, it is an apomorphy shared by members of a monophyletic group, and thus assumed to be present in their most recent common ancestor. The word synapomorphy, coined by German entomologist Willi Hennig, is derived from the Greek words , syn = shared; , apo = away from; and , morphe = shape.