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axial skeleton

American  

noun

Anatomy.
  1. the skeleton of the head and trunk.


axial skeleton British  

noun

  1. the bones that together comprise the skull and the vertebral column

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of axial skeleton

First recorded in 1870–75