Where does “invertebrate” come from?
Invertebrate derives from English in- plus vertebrate, with the prefix in- coming from Middle English in-, Latin in-, and Latin in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne, oyd-, en, and en.
invertebrate (English): An animal without vertebrae, i.e. backbone; A...
Definitions
- An animal without vertebrae, i.e. backbone; A...
Ancestry of “invertebrate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | in- | in, into, towards, within; in, into; Used with... |
| 2 | Middle English | in- | — |
| 3 | Old English | in- | in, into; on, upon; internal, positioned on the... |
| 4 | Old English | in | in; Alternative form of inn |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *in | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |
Words derived from “invertebrate”