invertebrate
/ɪnˈvəːtɪbrət
/noun
An animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusc, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 per cent of animal species and about thirty different phyla. Compare with vertebrate.Other invertebrates, including mollusks and crustaceans, are also part of the diet....
- Insects and other aquatic invertebrates are also eaten, especially by young birds.
- During the breeding season they eat mostly insects and other invertebrates.
adjective
Denoting an invertebrate or relating to the invertebrates as a group.Vertebrate and invertebrate animals, land plants, and protists are all represented as fossils in the Solnhofen Limestone....
- Sea cucumbers, invertebrate animals of the phylum Echinodermata, might hold out some hope for the afflicted.
- Most endophytes produce N-rich alkaloid compounds that deter or poison a range of vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores.
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).