in|ver|te|brate

in|ver|te|brate «ihn VUR tuh briht, -brayt», adjective, noun.

–adj.

1. without a backbone: »

invertebrate animals including the worm, the spider, and the beetle.

2. of or having to do with invertebrates.

3. Figurative. lacking moral strength; without character, conviction, or purpose: »

The book is invertebrate, with none of the dramatic structure that a long, detailed novel so much needs (New Yorker).

–n.

1. any one of the large number of types of animals without a backbone. Worms and insects are invertebrates; fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are vertebrates.

2. Figurative. a person without moral strength or character.

╂[< in-¹ not + vertebrate]