vertebra

[ vur-tuh-bruh ]

/ ˈvɜr tə brə /

noun, plural ver·te·brae [vur-tuh-bree, -brey] /ˈvɜr təˌbri, -ˌbreɪ/, ver·te·bras. Anatomy, Zoology.

any of the bones or segments composing the spinal column, consisting typically of a cylindrical body and an arch with various processes, and forming a foramen, or opening, through which the spinal cord passes.

Nearby words

verst, versus, vert, vert., vertebr-, vertebra, vertebra dentata, vertebra plana, vertebral, vertebral arch, vertebral artery

Origin of vertebra

1570–80; < Latin: (spinal) joint, equivalent to verte(re) to turn (see verse) + -bra noun suffix

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

Examples from the Web for vertebra

I have no idea when the second vertebra went out during the battle.
Send Bin Laden the Bill: Dakota Meyer on His Return From Afghanistan|Dakota Meyer|September 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One vertebra had given way in Ganjigal when I picked up an Askar and slipped in the bloody mud under him.
Send Bin Laden the Bill: Dakota Meyer on His Return From Afghanistan|Dakota Meyer|September 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In anatomy the name is given to the second vertebra from the head, that on which the atlas moves.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3|Various
The correspondence in the attachment of a rib to its vertebra by both heads is noteworthy.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard

The odontoid process of the second vertebra is pig-like: and the tibia and fibula and radius and ulna are severally distinct.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6|Various
The cervical rib is often very similar to that type, and blended with the vertebra, as in Pterodactyles and Birds.
Dragons of the Air|H. G. Seeley
On the centrum of this vertebra lower down is a second much larger rugose articular facet.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae|Frederick True

British Dictionary definitions for vertebra

vertebra

/ (ˈvɜːtɪbrə) /

noun plural -brae (-briː) or -bras

one of the bony segments of the spinal column

Derived Formsvertebral, adjectivevertebrally, adverb

Word Origin for vertebra

C17: from Latin: joint of the spine, from vertere to turn

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 vertebra

vertebra

1610s, from Latin vertebra "joint or articulation of the body, joint of the spine" (plural vertebræ), perhaps from vertere "to turn" (see versus) + instrumental suffix -bra. The notion is of the spine as the "hinge" of the body.

Medicine definitions for vertebra

vertebra

[ vûr′tə-brə ]

n. pl. ver•te•bras

Any of the bones or cartilaginous segments of the spinal column, usually 33 in number.

Science definitions for vertebra

vertebra

[ vûr′tə-brə ]

Plural vertebrae (vûr′tə-brā′, -brē′) vertebras

Any of the bones that make up the vertebral column. Each vertebra contains an arched, hollow section through which the spinal cord passes. In humans, the vertebrae are divided into cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sections, and the sacrum and coccyx are both made up of a series of fused vertebrae. The vertebrae are separated by cartilaginous intervertebral disks. See more at skeleton.