spinal column

American  

noun

• spinal columns
  plural

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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spinal column British  

noun

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

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spinal column Scientific  

/ spī′nəl /

1. See vertebral column

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spinal columns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spinal column

First recorded in 1830–40

Compare meaning

How does spinal-column compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spinal cord vs. spinal column

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spinal column

She also developed syringomyelia, which affects roughly eight in 100,000 people, in which cysts form on the spinal column.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2025

After the first neck injury in 2019, Vander Esch was diagnosed with a narrow spinal column and underwent fusion surgery.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

He severed a nerve between my uterus and spinal column that reduced my pain and dramatically improved my quality of life.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2023

These events conspicuously occur before the evolution of major novelties like the spinal column in vertebrates, flowers in plants, and fermentation in yeast.

From Scientific American ● May 4, 2023

Here we're somewhere in the middle of the head with the cortex above, the corpus callosum in the middle, and the brain stem descending to the spinal column.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman