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vertebrates

 - 5 dictionary results

ver⋅te⋅brate

  [vur-tuh-brit, -breyt]
Use vertebrates in a Sentence
–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
3. a vertebrate animal.
Origin:
1820–30; < L vertebrātus jointed. See vertebra, -ate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ver·te·brate   (vûr'tə-brĭt, -brāt')   
adj.  

  1. Having a backbone or spinal column.

  2. Of or characteristic of vertebrates or a vertebrate.

n.  A member of the subphylum Vertebrata, a primary division of the phylum Chordata that includes the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all of which are characterized by a segmented spinal column and a distinct well-differentiated head.

[Latin vertebrātus, having joints, from vertebra, vertebra; see vertebra.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

vertebrates [(vur-tuh-bruhts, vur-tuh-brayts)]

Animals that have a spinal cord enclosed in a backbone.

Note: The five traditional classes of vertebrates are amphibians, birds, fishes, mammals, and reptiles. (Compare invertebrates.)
Note: Human beings are vertebrates.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2vertebrate
Function: noun
: a vertebrate animal and especially one of the major taxonomic group Vertebrata
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

vertebrate ver·te·brate (vûr'tə-brĭt, -brāt')
adj.

  1. Having a spinal column.

  2. Of or characteristic a vertebrate.

n.
A member of the subphylum Vertebrata.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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