vertebral column
Americannoun
noun
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The series of vertebrae extending from the base of the skull to the tip of the tail that forms the supporting axis of the body in vertebrate animals. In humans and tailless apes, the vertebral column ends with the coccyx (tailbone). It encloses and protects the spinal cord and provides a stable attachment for the muscles of the trunk.
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Also called backbone spinal column, spine
Etymology
Origin of vertebral column
First recorded in 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team found part of the dinosaur's skull, a complete vertebral column extending to the tail, and nearly intact forelimbs and hindlimbs, said CONICET.
From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025
Essentially, thresher shark vertebral column is fortified along its length and might work like a catapult, allowing the tail to launch over the head.
From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024
The cartilaginous vertebral column, which is the main body axis, may have anatomical modifications to withstand the extreme bending during the tail-whipping behavior.
From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024
It is early days, but we have used gastruloids to study the process of somitogenesis, the process that generates the vertebral column and the muscles.
From Scientific American • Nov. 9, 2023
On the development of the vertebral column of the Urodela.
From The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence by Eaton, Theodore H. (Theodore Hildreth)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
