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Glite Dictionary
aquatic vertebrate

aquatic vertebrate

5.5
An animal with a backbone that lives mostly in water
  • noun
  • /əˈkwætɪk ˈvɜrtəbrɪt/
translation icon : vertebrado acuático
  • The museum's new exhibit focuses on the diversity of aquatic vertebrates found in oceans around the world.

Examples

  • Approximately 460 million years ago, the anterior gill arches of some aquatic vertebrates evolved into jaws and their supporting structures, including the hyomandibular bone.

    Academic text (2003)

  • My guess is that the ancient lake, at least in this vicinity, was too saline or alkaline for aquatic vertebrates, while the streams that fed it, although fresh, may have been too ephemeral and shallow to support fish.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Dolphins are a well-known type of aquatic vertebrate that are highly intelligent and social.

  • Frogs are fascinating aquatic vertebrates that start their lives as tadpoles in water.

How Aquatic

aquatic vertebrate
5.5
terrestrial
4 4.0

Surface Forms

aquatic vertebrate singular
aquatic vertebrates plural

Morphology

aquatic + vertebrate

Both constituent meanings combine directly: 'aquatic' means relating to water and 'vertebrate' means a backboned animal, so the compound denotes a backboned animal that lives in water. This modifier+noun composition is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Aquatic vertebrate comes from two parts: aquatic (a word for 'water') and vertebrate (a word for the 'backbone'). So it literally means an animal with a backbone that lives in water.