spinal cord

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noun

the cord of nerve tissue extending through the spinal canal of the spinal column.

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Origin of spinal cord

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby spinal cord

spinal anaesthesia, spinal anesthesia, spinal block, spinal canal, spinal column, spinal cord, spinal ganglion, spinal nerve, spinal tap, spin angular momentum, spin a yarn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spinal cord in a sentence

This was a challenge for someone with a spinal cord injury because Bloom was not able to rely on her torso for strength, instead powering the kayak with her upper body and arms.
The True Story Behind the New Netflix Film Penguin Bloom|Annabel Gutterman|January 27, 2021|Time
The 3D mini-brain, through the information highway formed by the artificial spinal cord, was able to make the lab-grown muscle twitch on demand.
Meet Assembloids, Mini Human Brains With Muscles Attached|Shelly Fan|January 12, 2021|Singularity Hub
Freddie Gray was the 25-year-old Baltimore resident who, after his arrest in 2015, had his spinal cord gravely injured during what media has described as a “rough ride” in a police van.
Watch Joy Reid’s Powerful Speech On Racial Double Standard Following Capitol Attack|Brooklyn White|January 7, 2021|Essence.com
He had shattered nine vertebrae and almost completely severed his spinal cord.
A Brief Excursion into Skiing's Cyborg Future|Nick Heil|December 16, 2020|Outside Online

Setting such a low bar “fails to account for the wide range of dangerous outcomes children face in side impact collisions, such as severe spinal cord and neck injuries,” they wrote.
Congressional Investigation Finds Many Booster Seat Makers “Endangered” Children’s Lives After Review of “Meaningless Safety Testing”|by Patricia Callahan|December 11, 2020|ProPublica
Ricky was very influenced by This Is Spinal Tap, and I was always a fan of Woody Allen movies.
Stephen Merchant Talks ‘Hello Ladies’ movie, the Nicole Kidman Cameo, and Legacy of ‘The Office’|Marlow Stern|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The popular snack has also struck a cord with Paleo dieters, according to Lewis.
Is Cricket Flour the New Protein Powder?|DailyBurn|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They hold signs depicting a fetus with a hanging umbilical cord.
Abortion in Missouri Is the Wait of a Lifetime|Justin Glawe|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In an interview with CIR, he admitted to making scores of copies of surgical screws for Spinal Solutions.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One Spinal Solutions sales representative said he suspected Williams was using perks to woo surgeons.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strange to say, the silken cord yielded to the first pull, as if nothing had been wrong with it at all!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
"You spoke of disgrace," she observed gently, swaying her fan before her by its silken cord.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
He turned his cool regard upon Chief Inspector Kerry, twirling the cord of his monocle about one finger.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Stop and try a ride, Billy, urged Lance Darby, holding the cord of the tugging kite.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for spinal cord

spinal cord

noun

the thick cord of nerve tissue within the spinal canal, which in man gives rise to 31 pairs of spinal nerves, and together with the brain forms the central nervous system

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

Scientific definitions for spinal cord

spinal cord

The long, cordlike part of the central nervous system that is enclosed within the vertebral column (spine) and descends from the base of the brain, with which it is continuous. The spinal cord branches to form the nerves that convey motor and sensory impulses to and from the tissues of the body.

Cultural definitions for spinal cord

spinal cord

The thick column of nerve tissue that extends from the base of the brain about two thirds of the way down the backbone. As part of the central nervous system, the spinal cord carries impulses back and forth between the brain and other parts of the body through a network of nerves that extend out from it like branches.