vertebrate

[vur-tuh-brit, -breyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vertebrate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having vertebrae; having a backbone or spinal column.

belonging or pertaining to the Vertebrata (or Craniata), a subphylum of chordate animals, comprising those having a brain enclosed in a skull or cranium and a segmented spinal column; a major taxonomic group that includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.

noun

a vertebrate animal.

Origin of vertebrate

First recorded in 1820–30, vertebrate is from the Latin word vertebrātus jointed. See vertebra, -ate¹

Related formsnon·ver·te·brate, adjective, nounsub·ver·te·brate, noun, adjectiveun·ver·te·brate, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vertebrate

beast, creature, vertebrate, pet, stray, being, brute, mutt, bum, invertebrate, varmint, critter

Examples from the Web for vertebrate

Contemporary Examples of vertebrate

Some 28 percent of the vertebrate species red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature live there.
Is Rafael Correa the Next Hugo Chavez?
Mac Margolis
August 22, 2013

Historical Examples of vertebrate

Remember that you are a vertebrate animal, and it is by mistake that you have developed a soul.
The Great Hunger
Johan Bojer
In the scale of evolution, one vertebrate was as good as another.
The Education of Henry Adams
Henry Adams
He rejects Geoffroy's theory of the vertebrate nature of Articulates.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
It is not of the essence of the vertebrate type to be tetrapodal.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
Maule appealed to the court: 'My lords, we are vertebrate animals, we are mammalia!
Familiar Quotations
John Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for vertebrate

vertebrate

noun

any chordate animal of the subphylum Vertebrata, characterized by a bony or cartilaginous skeleton and a well-developed brain: the group contains fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata

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

Word Origin and History for vertebrate

1826, from Latin vertebratus (Pliny), from vertebra "joint or articulation of the body, joint of the spine" (see vertebra).

vertebrate in Medicine

vertebrate

[vûr′tə-brĭt, -brāt′]

adj.

Having a spinal column.

Of or characteristic of a vertebrate.

n.

A member of the subphylum Vertebrata.

vertebrate in Science

vertebrate

[vûr′tə-brĭt, -brāt′]

Any of a large group of chordates of the subphylum Vertebrata (or Craniata), characterized by having a backbone. Vertebrates are bilaterally symmetrical and have an internal skeleton of bone or cartilage, a nervous system divided into brain and spinal cord, and not more than two pairs of limbs. Vertebrates have a well-developed body cavity (called a coelom) containing a chambered heart, large digestive organs, liver, pancreas, and paired kidneys, and their blood contains both red and white corpuscles. Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.