Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vertebral
First recorded in 1675–85; vertebr(a) + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Our vertebral column has evolved little from our four-legged, quadrupedal tree-dwelling ancestors, where it functioned primarily as a flexible beam for smooth movement from branch to branch, while also protecting the spinal cord.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
The connection, Drew and his colleagues determined, is the vertebral venous plexus, a network of veins that connects the abdomen to the spine in mice and humans alike.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
The team found part of the dinosaur's skull, a complete vertebral column extending to the tail, and nearly intact forelimbs and hindlimbs, said CONICET.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
“Two-thirds of people who have vertebral fractures don’t know they have them,” says Kado.
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2025
Recently W. W. Graves has called attention to a malformation of the vertebral border of the scapula which consists in a concavity instead of the normal convexity of the bone.
From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Louis Marshall Warfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
