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spine

[ spahyn ]
/ spaÉȘn /
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noun
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of spine

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin spīna thorn, backbone

OTHER WORDS FROM spine

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

How to use spine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spine

spine
/ (spaÉȘn) /

noun

Derived forms of spine

spined, adjective

Word Origin for spine

C14: from Old French espine spine, from Latin spīna thorn, 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

Scientific definitions for spine

spine
[ spīn ]

See vertebral column.
Any of various pointed projections, processes, or appendages of animals.
A sharp-pointed projection on a plant, especially a hard, narrow modified leaf, as on a cactus, that is adapted to reduce water loss. Compare thorn. See more at leaf.

Other words from spine

spinal adjective
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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