protochordate

American

[proh-toh-kawr-deyt] / ˌproʊ toʊˈkɔr deɪt /

noun

Zoology.

any of the nonvertebrate chordates, as the tunicates, cephalochordates, and hemichordates.

protochordate British

/ ˌprəʊtəʊˈkɔːdeɪt /

noun

any chordate animal of the subphyla Hemichordata (acorn worms), Urochordata (tunicates), and Cephalochordata (lancelets)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

of or relating to protochordates

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of protochordate

1890–95; < New Latin Protochordata name of the group; see proto-, chordate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023