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intervertebral disk

American  

noun

Anatomy.

  1. the plate of fibrocartilage between the bodies of adjacent vertebrae.

intervertebral disk Scientific  
/ ĭn′tər-vûr′tə-brəl /

  1. A broad disk of cartilage that separates adjacent vertebrae of the spine and acts as a shock absorber during movement.

Etymology

Origin of intervertebral disk

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

One day, when she picked up a heavy box, she tore an intervertebral disk in her back.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 10, 2019

The aortic arch descends toward the inferior portions of the body and ends at the level of the intervertebral disk between the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

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.