invertebrateadj.n.

Brit.

/ɪnˈvəːtᵻbrət/,

/ɪnˈvəːtᵻbreɪt/, U.S.

/ᵻnˈvərdəbrət/,

/ᵻnˈvərdəˌbreɪt/

Origin: A borrowing from Latin; modelled on a French lexical item. Etymon: Latin invertebrata.

Etymology: < scientific Latin invertebrata Invertebrata n., after French invertébrés, plural noun (1800 as adjective in animaux invertébrés invertebrate animals; 1807 or earlier as noun); compare -ate suffix¹. Compare later vertebrate n. and slightly later vertebrate adj. With use as adjective compare slightly earlier invertebral adj. and slightly later invertebrated adj.

A. adj.

1. Of or relating to invertebrates (sense B. 1). Of an animal: that is an invertebrate; lacking a backbone.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > [adjective]

invertebral1804

invertebrated1809

invertebrate1819

avertebrated1860

askeletal1887

backboneless1925

1819 London Lit. Gaz. 17 Apr. 244/2 Of invertebrate animals a few novelties were also found; but as they were not well preserved, we shall not describe them further.

1838 Penny Cycl. XII. 488/1 Invertebrate animals are divided by Lamarck into two great groups, which he calls ‘animaux apathiques’, and ‘animaux sensibles’.

1858 A. Geikie Story of Boulder v. 72 The higher tribes of the invertebrate animals.

1877 C. W. Thomson Voy. ‘Challenger’ I. i. 7 Even at that depth the invertebrate sub-kingdoms are still fairly represented.

1937 Discovery Oct. 308/2 The giant squid is certainly the largest invertebrate animal.

1980 Limnol. & Oceanogr. 25 999 One invertebrate predator often studied is the larva of Chaeoborus sp.—the phantom midge.

2008 New Scientist 1 Mar. 36/2 The acorn worms, tunicates, lancelets and soft-bodied jawless fish show the complete set of steps needed to evolve a vertebrate from an invertebrate ancestor.

2. figurative.

a. Lacking courage, vigour, resolve, or strength of character; feeble, spineless.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > weak in character or will

nesheOE

feeblec1200

softc1275

weaka1425

infirm1526

lithya1533

unheaded1577

spiritless1595

pappy1597

irresolute1600

marrowless1607

seducible1613

wax-nosedc1615

unsinewy?1623

reedy1628

swayable1642

short-spirited1647

weak-headed1654

lath-backed1676

will-less?1680

tiffany-trader1702

weak-minded1716

lax1751

lax-fibred1762

nerveless1783

wishy-washy1801

marcid1822

molluscous1836

boneless1848

weedy1849

putty-headed1857

flabby1862

weak-kneed1863

fibreless1864

invertebrate1867

chinless1881

backboneless1882

featherweight1885

spineless1885

weak-willed1885

totter-kneed1887

akratic1896

effete1905

weakling1906

gutless1915

willowish1919

Milquetoast1932

nannified1960

ball-less1967

1867 Eng. Independent 21 Mar. 367/2 A couple of Episcopal visits would be quite enough to turn the heads of some of the Dissenters whose Nonconformity is of the invertebrate type.

1894 W. H. Moreland Christian Concentration 7 I beg of you..not to swell the large class of lazy, invertebrate men and women which drifts about us and chokes the avenues of trade.

1922 19th Cent. & After Nov. 840 The Turks have no sympathy with an invertebrate soldier; the determined front we have shown is what they understand and respect.

1990 Oxf. Illustr. Hist. Christianity xii. 426 Their church had to supply a backbone for societies that had become invertebrate.

2006 Herald Bull. (Anderson, Indiana) 6 Feb. a4/2 With the cooperation of a compliant media and a frightened invertebrate Congress, the United States, for the first time in its history, started a war.

b. Of writing, music, etc., or its style: lacking in structure, organization, or force of expression; flabby.

ΚΠ

1873 G. B. Smith in Fortn. Rev. Aug. 205 To the admirers of a vapid and invertebrate style he must necessarily remain an abomination.

1883 Lippincott's Mag. May 495/2 There is no backbone of action; the story is invertebrate.

1915 A. E. Housman in Cambr. Rev. 27 Jan. 160/2 Progress through its clumsy and invertebrate sentences is like plodding over a ploughed field of clay.

1959 W. Brockway & H. Weinstock Men of Music xviii. 490 The invertebrate nature of the introduction pervades the first three movements.

2008 Poetry Sept. 495 Pouring these alternate impulses into sonnets (and fairly tight ones) is an odd and winning maneuver, and the poems of Nomina are much better for it than the invertebrate prose poems of Spar.

B. n.

1. An animal without a backbone; any animal not belonging to the chordate subphylum Vertebrata.Formerly placed in the division Invertebrata (see Invertebrata n.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > [noun] > invertebrate

insect1601

beastie1820

invertebrate1826

evertebrate1876

macro-invertebrate1956

invert1965

1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlv. 239 In this particular differing from the majority of Invertebrates.

1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 123/2 Wall-cases and floor-cases are best suited for the display of the vertebrate classes, and table-cases for the invertebrates.

1880 S. Haughton Six Lect. Physical Geogr. iii. 78 Animals of higher organisation than the Invertebrates.

1939 G. W. Keitt tr. I. B. Prévost Mem. Immediate Cause Bunt vi. 55 Globules of blood..have a slight movement like certain very small globules found in the eggs of several insects and invertebrates [Fr. invertébrés].

1976 Audubon Sept. 46/1 The myriad holes, crevices, and overhangs of a coral reef provide shelter for hundreds of species of fish and countless invertebrates.

2015 Independent (Nexis) 14 Aug. 1 The..Larger Pacific Striped Octopus..is the only invertebrate to be given special protection under the UK law governing the licensing of animal experiments.

2. figurative. As a term of contempt: a weak, insignificant, or despicable person; spec. one who lacks courage, vigour, resolve, or strength of character (cf. backbone n. 4).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun] > weakness of character or will > person of weak character or will

mush-head1846

to be putty in a person's hands1867

invertebrate1869

jellyfish1883

zob1911

akratic1913

Milquetoast1932

weakie1959

1869 Spectator 22 May 620 Indifference as to the fate of such political invertebrates.

1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Feb. 1/1 Nerveless invertebrates..whose only conception of statesmanship is that of divining how the cat will jump.

1901 Christian Work 3 Oct. 455/2 The man who cannot do right without fear of penalty should not be in college. The college is no place for moral invertebrates.

1921 Star Valley (Afton, Wyoming) Independent 29 July 1/2 The man whose entire thought is devoted to avoiding criticism is bound to be a gelatine-spined and putty-headed invertebrate.

1992 K. Applegate My Sister's Boyfriend viii. 173 Justine! You chicken! You invertebrate! You—you—poltroon.

2009 Guardian (Nexis) 11 Dec. 10 Computer games..are created for lame-ass invertebrates who can't hack the real world (no offence).

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	invertebrate
释义	invertebrateadj.n. Brit. /ɪnˈvəːtᵻbrət/, /ɪnˈvəːtᵻbreɪt/, U.S. /ᵻnˈvərdəbrət/, /ᵻnˈvərdəˌbreɪt/ Origin: A borrowing from Latin; modelled on a French lexical item. Etymon: Latin invertebrata. Etymology: < scientific Latin invertebrata Invertebrata n., after French invertébrés, plural noun (1800 as adjective in animaux invertébrés invertebrate animals; 1807 or earlier as noun); compare -ate suffix¹. Compare later vertebrate n. and slightly later vertebrate adj. With use as adjective compare slightly earlier invertebral adj. and slightly later invertebrated adj. A. adj. 1. Of or relating to invertebrates (sense B. 1). Of an animal: that is an invertebrate; lacking a backbone. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > [adjective] invertebral1804 invertebrated1809 invertebrate1819 avertebrated1860 askeletal1887 backboneless1925 1819 London Lit. Gaz. 17 Apr. 244/2 Of invertebrate animals a few novelties were also found; but as they were not well preserved, we shall not describe them further. 1838 Penny Cycl. XII. 488/1 Invertebrate animals are divided by Lamarck into two great groups, which he calls ‘animaux apathiques’, and ‘animaux sensibles’. 1858 A. Geikie Story of Boulder v. 72 The higher tribes of the invertebrate animals. 1877 C. W. Thomson Voy. ‘Challenger’ I. i. 7 Even at that depth the invertebrate sub-kingdoms are still fairly represented. 1937 Discovery Oct. 308/2 The giant squid is certainly the largest invertebrate animal. 1980 Limnol. & Oceanogr. 25 999 One invertebrate predator often studied is the larva of Chaeoborus sp.—the phantom midge. 2008 New Scientist 1 Mar. 36/2 The acorn worms, tunicates, lancelets and soft-bodied jawless fish show the complete set of steps needed to evolve a vertebrate from an invertebrate ancestor. 2. figurative. a. Lacking courage, vigour, resolve, or strength of character; feeble, spineless. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > weak in character or will nesheOE feeblec1200 softc1275 weaka1425 infirm1526 lithya1533 unheaded1577 spiritless1595 pappy1597 irresolute1600 marrowless1607 seducible1613 wax-nosedc1615 unsinewy?1623 reedy1628 swayable1642 short-spirited1647 weak-headed1654 lath-backed1676 will-less?1680 tiffany-trader1702 weak-minded1716 lax1751 lax-fibred1762 nerveless1783 wishy-washy1801 marcid1822 molluscous1836 boneless1848 weedy1849 putty-headed1857 flabby1862 weak-kneed1863 fibreless1864 invertebrate1867 chinless1881 backboneless1882 featherweight1885 spineless1885 weak-willed1885 totter-kneed1887 akratic1896 effete1905 weakling1906 gutless1915 willowish1919 Milquetoast1932 nannified1960 ball-less1967 1867 Eng. Independent 21 Mar. 367/2 A couple of Episcopal visits would be quite enough to turn the heads of some of the Dissenters whose Nonconformity is of the invertebrate type. 1894 W. H. Moreland Christian Concentration 7 I beg of you..not to swell the large class of lazy, invertebrate men and women which drifts about us and chokes the avenues of trade. 1922 19th Cent. & After Nov. 840 The Turks have no sympathy with an invertebrate soldier; the determined front we have shown is what they understand and respect. 1990 Oxf. Illustr. Hist. Christianity xii. 426 Their church had to supply a backbone for societies that had become invertebrate. 2006 Herald Bull. (Anderson, Indiana) 6 Feb. a4/2 With the cooperation of a compliant media and a frightened invertebrate Congress, the United States, for the first time in its history, started a war. b. Of writing, music, etc., or its style: lacking in structure, organization, or force of expression; flabby. ΚΠ 1873 G. B. Smith in Fortn. Rev. Aug. 205 To the admirers of a vapid and invertebrate style he must necessarily remain an abomination. 1883 Lippincott's Mag. May 495/2 There is no backbone of action; the story is invertebrate. 1915 A. E. Housman in Cambr. Rev. 27 Jan. 160/2 Progress through its clumsy and invertebrate sentences is like plodding over a ploughed field of clay. 1959 W. Brockway & H. Weinstock Men of Music xviii. 490 The invertebrate nature of the introduction pervades the first three movements. 2008 Poetry Sept. 495 Pouring these alternate impulses into sonnets (and fairly tight ones) is an odd and winning maneuver, and the poems of Nomina are much better for it than the invertebrate prose poems of Spar. B. n. 1. An animal without a backbone; any animal not belonging to the chordate subphylum Vertebrata.Formerly placed in the division Invertebrata (see Invertebrata n.). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > [noun] > invertebrate insect1601 beastie1820 invertebrate1826 evertebrate1876 macro-invertebrate1956 invert1965 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlv. 239 In this particular differing from the majority of Invertebrates. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 123/2 Wall-cases and floor-cases are best suited for the display of the vertebrate classes, and table-cases for the invertebrates. 1880 S. Haughton Six Lect. Physical Geogr. iii. 78 Animals of higher organisation than the Invertebrates. 1939 G. W. Keitt tr. I. B. Prévost Mem. Immediate Cause Bunt vi. 55 Globules of blood..have a slight movement like certain very small globules found in the eggs of several insects and invertebrates [Fr. invertébrés]. 1976 Audubon Sept. 46/1 The myriad holes, crevices, and overhangs of a coral reef provide shelter for hundreds of species of fish and countless invertebrates. 2015 Independent (Nexis) 14 Aug. 1 The..Larger Pacific Striped Octopus..is the only invertebrate to be given special protection under the UK law governing the licensing of animal experiments. 2. figurative. As a term of contempt: a weak, insignificant, or despicable person; spec. one who lacks courage, vigour, resolve, or strength of character (cf. backbone n. 4). ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun] > weakness of character or will > person of weak character or will mush-head1846 to be putty in a person's hands1867 invertebrate1869 jellyfish1883 zob1911 akratic1913 Milquetoast1932 weakie1959 1869 Spectator 22 May 620 Indifference as to the fate of such political invertebrates. 1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Feb. 1/1 Nerveless invertebrates..whose only conception of statesmanship is that of divining how the cat will jump. 1901 Christian Work 3 Oct. 455/2 The man who cannot do right without fear of penalty should not be in college. The college is no place for moral invertebrates. 1921 Star Valley (Afton, Wyoming) Independent 29 July 1/2 The man whose entire thought is devoted to avoiding criticism is bound to be a gelatine-spined and putty-headed invertebrate. 1992 K. Applegate My Sister's Boyfriend viii. 173 Justine! You chicken! You invertebrate! You—you—poltroon. 2009 Guardian (Nexis) 11 Dec. 10 Computer games..are created for lame-ass invertebrates who can't hack the real world (no offence). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1819
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