invertebrate
Syllabification: (in·ver·te·brate)
Pronunciation: /inˈvərtəbrit, -ˌbrāt/
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Definition of invertebrate
noun
- an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla. Compare with vertebrate.
adjective
Origin:
early 19th century (as a noun): from modern Latin invertebrata (plural) 'the invertebrates' (former taxonomic group), from French invertébrés, from in- 'without' + Latin vertebra (see vertebra)