Definitions

1. noun

Similarity in form or structure between different species, resulting from a process other than inheritance from a common ancestor.

“The study of homoplasy in fossil records can provide valuable insights into the evolutionary history of a species.”

2. noun

A similarity in form or structure between two or more different genes or organisms that is not due to a common ancestry.

“The researchers identified homoplasy in the DNA sequences of the two species, suggesting that they had evolved independently.”