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vertebrate

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vertebrate¹

  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ UK
  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈvɜː.tə.bɹeɪt/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈvɝ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ Canada, US
  • [ˈvɝ.ɾɪ.bɹeɪt] Canada, US
  • /ˈvɝ.tə.bɹeɪt/ Canada, US
  • [ˈvɝ.ɾə.bɹeɪt] Canada, US
  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹæɪt/ Australia
  • /ˈvɜː.tə.bɹæɪt/ Australia
  • /ˈvøː.tə.bɹæɪt/ New Zealand

Where it comes from

Adapted borrowing of French vertébré, from Latin vertebrātus (“jointed”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more).

adjective

  1. not comparable Having a backbone.

    Similar: backboned, vertebrated · Opposite: spineless

  2. not comparable Of, being, or pertaining to Vertebrata, animals with backbones.

vertebrate²

  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ UK
  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈvɜː.tə.bɹeɪt/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈvɝ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ Canada, US
  • [ˈvɝ.ɾɪ.bɹeɪt] Canada, US
  • /ˈvɝ.tə.bɹeɪt/ Canada, US
  • [ˈvɝ.ɾə.bɹeɪt] Canada, US
  • /ˈvɜː.tɪ.bɹæɪt/ Australia
  • /ˈvɜː.tə.bɹæɪt/ Australia
  • /ˈvøː.tə.bɹæɪt/ New Zealand

Where it comes from

From the substantivization of the above adjective through the associated taxon's name (Vertebrata) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more).

noun vertebrates

  1. An animal having a backbone: one belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata. Under the white chalk, drawn on the blackboard / Under the x-ray, I'm just a vertebrate

    Similar: vertebrate, craniate · Opposite: invertebrate

Opposite: invertebrate

Thesaurus

noun

Opposite: invertebrate

Translations

Every language

adj having a backbone

Españolvertebrado
한국어척추 cheokchu
日本語脊椎 sekitsui
中文椎骨的 zhuīgǔ de
Portuguêsvertebrado
Françaisvertébré
Italianovertebrato
Ελληνικάσπονδυλωτός spondylotós
Românăvertebrat
Русскийпозвоно́чный pozvonóčnyj
العربيةفَقَارِيّ faqāriyy, فَقَارِيَّة faqāriyya

noun an animal having a backbone

Españolvertebrado
한국어척추동물 cheokchudongmul
日本語脊椎動物 sekitsui dōbutsu
中文脊椎動物 /脊椎动物 jǐzhuī dòngwù
हिन्दीकशेरुकी जीव kaśerukī jīv
Portuguêsvertebrado
Françaisvertébré
DeutschWirbeltier, Vertebrat
Italianovertebrato
Ελληνικάσπονδυλωτό spondylotó
Românăvertebrat
Русскийпозвоно́чное pozvonóčnoje
Tiếng Việtđộng vật có xương sống
العربيةفَقَارِيّ faqāriyy, فَقَارِيَّة faqāriyya
עבריתחֻלְיְתָן \ חולייתן khulyetán

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Cite this
MLA

"vertebrate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vertebrate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

vertebrate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vertebrate

Chicago

"vertebrate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vertebrate.

BibTeX
@misc{vertebrate_2026,
  title = {vertebrate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vertebrate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}