spine

American  

[spahyn] / spaɪn /

noun

1. the spinal or vertebral column; backbone.

2. any backbonelike part.

3. a stiff, pointed process or appendage on an animal, as a quill of a porcupine, or a sharp, bony ray in the fin of a fish.

4. something, as a quality or trait, that constitutes a principal strength; resolution; stamina; backbone.

   a situation that would test a person's spine.

5. a ridge, as of ground or rock.

6. a sharp-pointed, hard or woody outgrowth on a plant; thorn.

7. Bookbinding. the back of a book cover or binding, usually indicating the title and author.

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spine British  

/ spaɪn /

noun

1. the spinal column

2. the sharply pointed tip or outgrowth of a leaf, stem, etc

3. zoology a hard pointed process or structure, such as the ray of a fin, the quill of a porcupine, or the ridge on a bone

4. the back of a book, record sleeve, etc

5. a ridge, esp of a hill

6. strength of endurance, will, etc

7. anything resembling the spinal column in function or importance; main support or feature

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spine Scientific  

/ spīn /

1. See vertebral column

2. Any of various pointed projections, processes, or appendages of animals.

3. A sharp-pointed projection on a plant, especially a hard, narrow modified leaf, as on a cactus, that is adapted to reduce water loss.

4. Compare thorn See more at leaf

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spined
  adjective
• spinelike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spine

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin spīna thorn, backbone

Explanation

Your spine is your backbone. When you sit and stand with your spine straight, people will compliment you on your good posture. Besides being the basic part of a vertebrate's skeleton, a spine is also a sharp spike, like the spines on a sea urchin or a cactus. Another kind of spine is the "backbone" of a book, the part of its cover that you can read when the book is on a bookshelf. Spine comes from the Latin spina, which also means both "backbone" and "thorn."

Example Sentences

Graham developed her now-familiar modernist principles for working the torso and spine, known as “contraction” and “release,” with her troupe, all female at the time, between 1927 and 1928.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Their scenes of fracture and forgiveness become as strong an emotional spine as their parents’ late-in-life romance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

The dinosaur stands apart from related species because of several unique features found in its spine, pelvis, and leg bones.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

ABC found its spine late in the game.

From Salon • May 13, 2026

Guilt snaked up my spine and coiled around my throat.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• bone
• vertebrae