spinous process

American  

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

1. a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.

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Etymology

Origin of spinous process

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Figure 7.25 Cervical Vertebrae A typical cervical vertebra has a small body, a bifid spinous process, transverse processes that have a transverse foramen and are curved for spinal nerve passage.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

A typical thoracic vertebra is distinguished by its long, downward projecting spinous process.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The C1 vertebra does not have a body or spinous process.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Arising from the vertebral arch are the laterally projecting transverse processes and the posteriorly oriented spinous process.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The cell has more than one posterior perforation; and the central cell at a bifurcation is rounded above and without a spinous process; lastly, the ovicell is much loftier and tesselated on the surface.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 1 by MacGillivray, John