Definition of "vertebrate" []

• Having a backbone or spinal column. (adjective)
• Of or characteristic of vertebrates or a vertebrate. (adjective)
• A member of the subphylum Vertebrata, a primary division of the phylum Chordata that includes the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all of which are characterized by a segmented spinal column and a distinct well-differentiated head. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "One species of vertebrate is added to the endangered list each week, IUCN report warns at biodiversity summit?"
• "Bio/Rocks is the blog of Sarah, a graduate student in vertebrate paleontology at UC Berkeley."
• "Anyway, a seminal work in vertebrate paleontology, and I didn't have a copy, so thank you."