deuterostome

noun

deu·​tero·​stome ˈdü-tə-rō-ˌstōm 

 also  ˈdyü-

: any of a major division (Deuterostomia) of the animal kingdom that includes the bilaterally symmetrical animals (such as the chordates) with indeterminate cleavage and a mouth that does not arise from the blastopore

Examples of deuterostome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This pristine level of preservation shows that the structures that once looked like pits were actually the bases of spines that broke away in the process of fossilization, suggesting that Saccorhytus wasn’t a deuterostome but something else entirely. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2022

The team classifies Saccorhytus as a deuterostome, one of the major groups of animals and the branch of the Tree of Life that includes vertebrates. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Deuterostomia, group name, from deuter- + Greek stoma mouth — more at stomach entry 1

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above