vertebrate

[vur-tuh-brit, -breyt]

adjective

1. having vertebrae; having a backbone or spinal column.

2. 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

1. a vertebrate animal.

vertebrate

/ ˈvɜːtɪˌbreɪt, -brɪt /

noun

1. 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

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata

vertebrate

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• nonvertebrate adjective
• subvertebrate noun
• unvertebrate adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertebrate¹

First recorded in 1820–30, vertebrate is from the Latin word vertebrātus jointed. See vertebra, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Dr Wills gave another example of birds and bats, which both developed wings because they face similar environments, despite being different species in "different major branches of the vertebrate tree".

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When it comes to teeth, most vertebrates share the same basic blueprint.

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The deepest marine vertebrate life filmed before this expedition was at 8,336m - a snailfish that was filmed swimming in a deep ocean trench off the coast of Japan in 2023.

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Herrings are vertebrates, in the greater evolutionary scheme not all that different from us.

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Existing protections for the use of research animals by and large prevent the creation of vertebrate cyborgs of this kind.

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Related Words

• beast 
• creature 
• pet