spinous

[ spahy-nuhs ]

See synonyms for spinous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

covered with or having spines; thorny, as a plant.
armed with or bearing sharp-pointed processes, as an animal.

spinelike.

Origin of spinous

1630–40; <Latin spīnōsus;see spine, -ous

Other words from spinous

spi·nous·ness, noun
in·ter·spi·nous, adjective
mul·ti·spi·nous, adjective
post·spi·nous, adjective
sub·spi·nous, adjective

Words Nearby spinous

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

How to use spinous in a sentence

Under a lens, they usually appear covered with spinous eminences, arranged like scales.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) | William Kirby
The back bone receives its name, spine, or spinal column, from these spinous processes.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy | Catherine Esther Beecher
The lower leaves of this plant are spinous and very glaucous, and the upper ones palmate.
The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
The arches or spinous processes are the occipital crest, the parietals, the frontals, and the nasals.
Form and Function | E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
The fifth and sixth generations are now growing without exhibiting the least tendency to revert to the spinous form.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George Mivart

British Dictionary definitions for spinous

spinous

/ (ˈspaɪnəs) /

adjectivebiology

resembling a spine or thorn: the spinous process of a bone
having spines or spiny projections

another word for spinose

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

Browse