Monophyly is a term used to describe a group of organisms that share a common ancestor, including all of its descendants. There are several synonyms for this term which are used in different scientific contexts. Homophyly describes organisms that share similar traits due to convergent evolution rather than a common ancestor. Paraphyly describes a group of organisms that share a common ancestor, but does not include all of its descendants. Polyphyly describes a group of organisms that do not share a common ancestor but have evolved similar traits through convergent evolution. These synonyms are important to understand in order to accurately describe the relationships between different organisms in evolutionary biology.