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.

Nearby words

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

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

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

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

spine

noun

Word Origin for spine

spine

spine

n.

spine