Webster's English Dictionary

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vertebrate

1. ver.te.brate \'v*rt-*-br*t, -.bra-t\ aj [NL vertebratus, fr. L, jointed, 
   fr. vertebra] 1a: having a spinal column  1b: of or relating to the 
   vertebrates  2: having a strong framework suggesting vertebrae  3: 
   organized or constructed in orderly or developed form {a ~ piec e of 
   composition}
2. vertebrate n [deriv. of NL vertebratus] : any of a comprehensive 
   division (Vertebrata) usu. held to be a subphylum  of chordates comprising 
   animals with a segmented spinal column together with a few primitive forms 
   in which the backbone is represented by a notochord