chordate
[ kawr-deyt ]
/ ˈkɔr deɪt /
adjective
belonging or pertaining to the phylum Chordata, comprising the true vertebrates and those animals having a notochord, as the lancelets and tunicates.
noun
a chordate animal.
Nearby words
chorda, chorda tendinea, chordal, chordamesoderm, chordata, chordate, chordates, chordee, chording, chorditis, chordo-
Origin of chordate
First recorded in 1885–90; see origin at Chordata
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British Dictionary definitions for chordate
chordate
/ (ˈkɔːˌdeɪt) /
noun
any animal of the phylum Chordata, including the vertebrates and protochordates, characterized by a notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord, and pharyngeal gill slits
adjective
of, relating to, or belonging to the Chordata
Word Origin for chordate
C19: from Medieval Latin chordata; see chord 1 + -ate 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for chordate
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for chordate
chordate
[ kôr′dāt′, -dĭt ]
n.
An animal of the phylum Chordata, which includes all vertebrates.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for chordate
chordate
[ kôr′dāt′ ]
Any of a large group of animals of the phylum Chordata, having at some stage of development a notochord (flexible spinal column) and nerve cord running along the back, a tail stretching above and behind the anus, and gill slits. Chordates probably evolved before the Cambrian Period and are related to the hemichordates, echinoderms, and chaetognaths. The vertebrates, tunicates, and cephalochordates are the three main groups of chordates.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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