vertebra

[ vur-tuh-bruh ]

/ ˈvɜr tə brə /

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See synonyms for: vertebrae 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.

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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. 2023

How to use vertebra in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
The lump, it turned out, was the result of a dislocated vertebrae.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?|Olivia Nuzzi|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

We were just sort of misbehaving; they were the tissue between vertebrae—where the rubber meets the road.
Fight Club Turns 10|Paul Cullum|November 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
These two aptitudes, simple though they be, characterize man better than the number of his vertebrae and his molars.
More Hunting Wasps|J. Henri Fabre
A rotten rope was found loosely knotted round the vertebrae of his neck.
Prince Zaleski|M.P. Shiel
The loaded pack basket on a heavy carry never fails to get in on the most vulnerable knob of the human vertebrae.
Woodcraft and Camping|George Washington Sears (Nessmuk)
He found the same variability in the number of the caudal vertebrae.
Darwinism (1889)|Alfred Russel Wallace
The crocodiles of this old time had vertebrae with a hollow at each end like the fishes, or with a projection in the front.
The Story of the Earth and Man|J. W. Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for vertebra

vertebra

/ (ˈvɜːtɪbrə) /

noun plural -brae (-briː) or -bras

one of the bony segments of the spinal column

Derived forms of vertebra

vertebral, 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

Scientific 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.