chordate

noun

chor·date | \ ˈkȯr-ˌdāt

, -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

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Examples of chordate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Until now, the glow in other chordate animals had been explained by their diet or from a symbiotic relationship with glowing bacteria. — Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2020 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, 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, 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.