invertebrate

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in·ver·te·brate / inˈvərtəbrit; -ˌbrāt/ • n. an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla. Compare with vertebrate.• adj. of, relating to, or belonging to this division of animals. ∎ humorous irresolute; spineless: so invertebrate is today's Congress regarding foreign policy responsibilities.

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