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spinal column

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spinal column ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the series of vertebrae in a vertebrate animal forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; spine; backbone.

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RELATED WORDS

backbone, spine, rachis, rhachis, vertebrae

Nearby words

spinal anesthesia, spinal artery, spinal atrophy, spinal block, spinal canal, spinal column, spinal concussion, spinal cord, spinal curvature, spinal decompression, spinal fusion

Origin of spinal column

First recorded in 1830–40
Also called vertebral column.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for spinal column

spinal column

noun

a series of contiguous or interconnecting bony or cartilaginous segments that surround and protect the spinal cordAlso called: spine, vertebral column, rachis Nontechnical name: backbone
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

Medicine definitions for spinal column

spinal column

n.

The series of articulated vertebrae, separated by intervertebral disks and held together by muscles and tendons, that extends from the cranium to the coccyx, encasing the spinal cord and forming the supporting axis of the body.backbone rachis spine vertebral column
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for spinal column

spinal column

[ spī′nəl ]

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