backbone

[ bak-bohn ]
See synonyms for backbone on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Anatomy. the spinal column; spine.

  2. strength of character; resolution.

  1. something resembling a backbone in appearance, position, or function.

  2. Bookbinding. a back or bound edge of a book; spine.

  3. Nautical. a rope running along the middle of an awning, as a reinforcement and as an object to which a supporting bridle or crowfoot may be attached.

  4. Naval Architecture. the central fore-and-aft assembly of the keel and keelson, giving longitudinal strength to the bottom of a vessel.

Origin of backbone

1
1250–1300; Middle English bacbon. See back1, bone

Other words for backbone

Other words from backbone

  • backboned, adjective
  • backboneless, adjective

Words Nearby backbone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backbone in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backbone

backbone

/ (ˈbækˌbəʊn) /


noun
  1. a nontechnical name for spinal column

  2. something that resembles the spinal column in function, position, or appearance

  1. strength of character; courage

  2. the main or central mountain range of a country or region

  3. nautical the main longitudinal members of a vessel, giving structural strength

  4. computing (in computer networks) a large-capacity, high-speed central section by which other network segments are connected

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

Scientific definitions for backbone

backbone

[ băkbōn′ ]


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for backbone

backbone

The primary line(s) that connects the slower, shorter cable portions of a communications network together. (See last mile.) In larger networks, such as the Internet, a backbone consists of high-capacity, high-speed lines that can extend over great distances.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.