spine

[spahyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spine ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the spinal or vertebral column; backbone.

any backbonelike part.

a stiff, pointed process or appendage on an animal, as a quill of a porcupine, or a sharp, bony ray in the fin of a fish.

something, as a quality or trait, that constitutes a principal strength; resolution; stamina; backbone: a situation that would test a person's spine.

a ridge, as of ground or rock.

a sharp-pointed, hard or woody outgrowth on a plant; thorn.

Bookbinding. the back of a book cover or binding, usually indicating the title and author.

Origin of spine

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

Related formsspined, adjectivespine·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spine

Contemporary Examples of spine

Morris struggled to straighten his back, which involved stiffening a spine rarely used.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’
Asawin Suebsaeng
January 7, 2015
The results were awful: marked osteoporosis in the spine, hip, and femur.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014
He survived, Risner says, but was left permanently injured by a bullet to his spine.
Drug Smuggler Sues U.S. Over Dog Bite
Caitlin Dickson
December 10, 2014
Its spine, too, “‘hubbed’ as the most prized European classics are,” is decorated with delicate gold squiggles and a star.
Rand Paul’s Many Leather-Bound Books
Olivia Nuzzi
November 27, 2014
Dr. Neal is a spine surgeon who made a trip to heaven while drowning in a kayak accident in South America.
Book Bag: Reading Your Way Out Of Grief
Anna Whiston-Donaldson
October 16, 2014

Historical Examples of spine

"Yes, dear: that is, if you and I take the spine," replied the old lady.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 13, June 25, 1870
Various
Later I learned that his spine had been broken, that he would be paralyzed for life.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Such a tingle shot up Gibson's spine that he was sure he must have jumped.
Irresistible Weapon
Horace Brown Fyfe
For the present he can but prescribe a purgative and a massage of the arm and spine.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
Why you'd put any other man's back up until he broke his spine.
The Universal Reciter
Various

British Dictionary definitions for spine

spine

noun

the spinal column

the sharply pointed tip or outgrowth of a leaf, stem, etc

zoology a hard pointed process or structure, such as the ray of a fin, the quill of a porcupine, or the ridge on a bone

the back of a book, record sleeve, etc

a ridge, esp of a hill

strength of endurance, will, etc

anything resembling the spinal column in function or importance; main support or feature

Derived Formsspined, 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

Word Origin and History for spine

c.1400, "backbone," later "thornlike part" (early 15c.), from Old French espine (French épine), from Latin spina "backbone," originally "thorn, prickle," from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (cf. Latin spica "ear of corn," Old Norse spikr "nail;" see spike (n.1)). Meaning "the back of a book" is first attested 1922.

Medicine definitions for spine

spine

[spīn]

n.

spinal column

Any of various short pointed projections, processes, or appendages of bone.

Science 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.

Related formsspinal adjective

spine

noun

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Origin of spine

Examples from the Web for spine

Contemporary Examples of spine

Historical Examples of spine

spine

noun

Word Origin for spine

spine

n.

spine