invertebrate
invertebrate Lexical Profile
invertebrate Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An animal lacking a backbone or vertebral column, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, or cnidarian, which together make up the vast majority of animal species on Earth.
"Earthworms, insects, and octopuses are familiar invertebrates that play vital roles in their ecosystems."
• adjective
Lacking a backbone or spinal column; relating to or characteristic of invertebrates.
"The tide pool was teeming with invertebrate marine life, including sea stars and anemones."
Lacking strength of character, resolution, or courage; weak-willed.
"Critics dismissed the committee's invertebrate response to the corporate scandal."
• Rhymes for invertebrate
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck as 'invertébré', formed from the Latin prefix 'in-' (meaning 'not' or 'without') and 'vertebratus' (meaning 'jointed' or 'having a spine').