Where does “vertebrate” come from?
vertebrate (Latin) comes from Latin vertebratus, from Latin vertere, from Latin verto, from Proto-Italic wertō, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
vertebrate (Latin): vocative masculine singular of vertebrātus
Definitions
- vocative masculine singular of vertebrātus
Ancestry of “vertebrate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | vertebratus | jointed, articulated |
| 2 | Latin | vertere | inflection of vertō:
## third-person plural... |
| 3 | Latin | verto | I turn, revolve; I turn around; I reverse |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | wertō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |