vertebra

[vur-tuh-bruh]

See more synonyms for vertebra on Thesaurus.com

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.

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. 2018

Related Words for vertebrae

spine, foundation, vertebrae, bone, support, base, basis, ridge, back, rachis, chine, backbone, rhachis

Examples from the Web for vertebrae

Contemporary Examples of vertebrae

Doctors around the world drive them into the vertebrae of patients with devastating back injuries.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’
The Center for Investigative Reporting
November 3, 2014
You see, the spine is a row of vertebrae that was designed to be horizontal.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.
Andrew Romano
May 2, 2014
They reportedly got back together a few months later after Soffer injured his vertebrae in a helicopter crash.
Elle Macpherson Remarries; "Bling Ring" Copycats Attempt to Rob Paris Hilton
The Fashion Beast Team
August 5, 2013

Historical Examples of vertebrae

Its flesh is delicate and firm, and with the exception of the vertebrae, has no long bones.
The Call Of The South
Louis Becke
Then it fell, shearing through the scales and flesh and vertebrae.
The Devil in Iron
Robert E. Howard
The skull, pelvis, and most vertebrae, as well as the sternum of this form are unknown.
Extinct Birds
Walter Rothschild
Ribs are often wanting and when present are often not separated off from the vertebrae.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The vertebrae are amphicoelous, and are generally well ossified.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for vertebrae

vertebra

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 vertebrae

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.

vertebrae in Medicine

vertebra

[vûr′tə-brə]

n. pl. ver•te•bras

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

vertebrae in Science

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.