What does chordate mean?
A chordate is any member of the animal phylum Chordata, a group defined by four hallmark features present at some point during the animal's life: a notochord, a hollow nerve cord running along the back, pharyngeal slits, and a tail extending past the anus. The phylum encompasses all vertebrates — fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals — together with a few invertebrate groups such as sea squirts and lancelets that retain these features only briefly or in simplified form. The term derives from the Latin "chorda," meaning string or cord, referring to the flexible rod of tissue known as the notochord that supports the body in early chordate embryos. In human beings, the notochord contributes to the formation of the spinal column before disappearing. "Chordate" appears chiefly in biological and educational writing, where it signals membership in one of the most successful lineages in the animal kingdom.
Any animal belonging to the phylum Chordata, distinguished at some stage of life by a notochord, a dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail; includes all vertebrates and certain invertebrates such as tunicates and lancelets.
"The lamprey is a jawless vertebrate and therefore a chordate."
Used mainly in scientific and academic contexts; plural is "chordates."
Relating to or characteristic of chordates or the phylum Chordata.
"The chordate nervous system develops along the dorsal side of the body."
Regular English plural formed by adding -s.
"All chordates possess a notochord at some point in their development."
You are a chordate — and so is every fish, frog, and songbird on Earth, because somewhere inside you once ran a structure called a notochord, evolution's original backbone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chordate
The word "chordate" comes from the Latin "chorda," meaning a string or cord, itself borrowed from the Greek "khorde." The term refers to the notochord, the flexible supporting rod found in chordate embryos. It was coined in the late nineteenth century by zoologists formalizing the classification of animals into major groups. Related English words sharing the same root include "chord" (as in music) and "accord," both tracing back through Latin to the same Greek source.
Related word forms
How chordate is actually used
"Chordate" is primarily a scientific term used in biology, zoology, and paleontology. It functions mainly as a noun but can also be used adjectivally (e.g., "the chordate body plan"). It is not common in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with chordate
A chord in music is two or more notes sounded together, while a chordate is an animal of the phylum Chordata; the words share the Latin root chorda but mean entirely different things.
"Cordate" describes something heart-shaped (especially leaves), whereas "chordate" refers to an animal possessing a notochord.