The term Chordata is originated by the two Greek words the 'Chorda' means 'thick string' and the 'Ata' means 'to have'.
The overall meaning of the word is the presence of the notochord, so chordates are the animals having notochord in their life span.
Notochord supports the body of these animals.
Explanation:
The Fundamental Characters Of Chordates Are:
Presence of Notochord: In the embryonic stage of chordate animals there is a solid stick-like structure (Just below the central nervous system and above the alimentary canal), this is called the notochord.
Presence of dorsal tubular nerve cord: In chordates, the nervous system is present at the dorsal surface of the body. The nerve cord is the hollow, tubular structure present just below the body wall and above the notochord.
Presence of pharyngeal gill clefts: In every chordate, there is a presence of a pair of lateral gill clefts in the wall of the pharynx for respiration. These may be present in any stage of its life span like in higher chordates gill clefts are present only in the embryonic stage not in adults.
Post anal tail: It is the post-anal part of the body. The tail is reduced or absent in many adult chordates.
Other important characters of chordates include the presence of a ventral heart.
Mistake Point
Chordates have a dorsal central nervous system and not the ventral.