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spinal column

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noun
  1. 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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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. 2018

Related Words

backbonespinerachisrhachisvertebrae
British Dictionary definitions for spinal column

spinal column

noun
  1. 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
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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
spinal column in Medicine

spinal column

n.
  1. 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
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
spinal column in Science

spinal column

[spī′nəl]
  1. See vertebral column.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.