chordate

chor·date | \ ˈkȯr-ˌdāt

How to pronounce chordate (audio)

, -dət \

Definition of chordate

: any of a phylum (Chordata) of animals having at least at some stage of development a notochord, dorsally situated central nervous system, and gill slits and including the vertebrates, lancelets, and tunicates

Other Words from chordate Example Sentences Learn More about chordate

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of chordate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That is in contradistinction to Cambrian fossils, among which are found representatives of all the main animal groups (annelids, arthropods, brachiopods, chordates, cnidarians, echinoderms, molluscs and so on) that are around today. — The Economist, "The Cambrian explosion was caused by a lack of oxygen, not an abundance," 7 June 2018 The first saw the emergence of brachiopods and molluscs, the second that of annelids, cnidarians, echinoderms and chordates (a group that includes the vertebrates). — The Economist, "The Cambrian explosion was caused by a lack of oxygen, not an abundance," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chordate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about chordate

Dictionary Entries near chordate

chordal thickness

Statistics for chordate

Cite this Entry

“Chordate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chordate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2020.

WORD OF THE DAY

obtain

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

A More Exception(al) Quiz

Which of the following words is not a synonym for ‘a young person’?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.