/
ɪnˈvəːtɪbrət/
n.
an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusc, annelid, etc. Compare with
vertebrate.
adj.
relating to the invertebrates.
Etymology
C19: from mod. L. invertebrata (pl.) (former taxonomic group), from Fr. invertébrés, from in- ‘without’ + L. vertebra (see vertebra).
查看更多