spinal

American  

[spahyn-l] / ˈspaɪn l /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to a spine or thornlike structure, especially to the backbone.

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noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a spinal anesthetic.

spinal British  

/ ˈspaɪnəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the spine or the spinal cord

2. denoting a laboratory animal in which the spinal cord has been severed

   a spinal rat

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noun

1. short for spinal anaesthesia

Other Word Forms

• interspinal adjective
• nonspinal adjective
• prespinal adjective
• spinally adverb

Etymology

Origin of spinal

1570–80; < Late Latin spīnālis, equivalent to Latin spīn ( a ) spina + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Multiple sclerosis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective layer surrounding nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.

From Science Daily

Jones, 46, temporarily lost her income source after spinal surgery last year.

From Barron's

Through a PET scan and spinal tap, I saw the sticky, abnormal plaques associated with the disease building up in my brain.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scientists around the world have been searching for reliable early indicators of Parkinson's disease, including markers found through brain imaging and spinal fluid analysis.

From Science Daily

White matter consists of long axons of neurons that transmit impulses to more distant regions of the brain and spinal cord.

From BBC

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