/verr"teuh brit, -brayt'/ , adj.
1. having vertebrae; having a backbone or spinal column.
2. belonging or pertaining to the Vertebrata (or Craniata), a subphylum of chordate animals, comprising those having a brain enclosed in a skull or cranium and a segmented spinal column; a major taxonomic group that includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
n.
3. a vertebrate animal.
[ 1820-30; vertebratus jointed. See VERTEBRA, -ATE 1 ]