spine

[ spahyn ]

/ spaɪn /

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.

Nearby words

spindlelegs, spindleshanks, spindling, spindly, spindrift, spine, spine of scapula, spine-bashing, spine-chiller, spine-chilling, spine-tingling

Origin of spine

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

Related forms

spined, adjectivespine·like, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
But in another minute the beer had gone to his head, and a faint and even pleasant shiver ran down his spine.
Crime and Punishment|Fyodor Dostoevsky
Illness may also result from small stones, or the spine of the nopal placed in the body by the same agency.
Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)|Carl Lumholtz
This consists of two huge masses filled with a jellylike substance, below the spine, and separated by a narrow median septum.
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life|Ernest Ingersoll
It acts upon the heart, the spine and the nerve centers and causes paralysis.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 2 [February 1901]|Various
A creepy, shivery feeling runs up and down my spine; a fear of which I am ashamed seizes upon me.
The Best Psychic Stories|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spine

spine

/ (spaɪn) /

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 Forms

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

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 forms

spinal adjective