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spinal column
noun
: the axial skeleton of a vertebrate that consists of an articulated series of vertebrae which extend from the neck to the tail and protect the spinal cord
called also backbone, vertebral column
Examples of spinal column in a Sentence
a diagram of the spinal column
Recent Examples on the Web
The defendant dismissed was Lyndsey Emery, a former pathologist with the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office who was asked in 2019 to examine a section of Greenberg’s preserved spinal column.
—Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 21 Dec. 2024
The populist and segregationist Democrat who famously blocked Black students from entering the University of Alabama wasn’t killed in the attack but ended up paralyzed from the waist down; one of the bullets had lodged in his spinal column, his presidential campaign cut short.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2024
Spinal Metastasis Sometimes, lung cancer spreads to the spinal column (known as spinal metastasis).
—Joy Emeh, Health, 3 July 2024
The fall, Reeve's doctors say, caused multiple fractures of the first and second cervical vertebrae in his spinal column, those closest to the skull — a grievous injury that has left the actor paralyzed, unable to use any of his limbs or even to breathe without the aid of a respirator.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1831, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near spinal column
Cite this Entry
“Spinal column.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spinal%20column. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
spinal column
nounMedical Definition
spinal column
noun
: the articulated series of vertebrae connected by ligaments and separated by more or less elastic intervertebral fibrocartilages that in nearly all vertebrates forms the supporting axis of the body and a protection for the spinal cord and that extends from the hind end of the skull through the median dorsal part of the body to the coccyx or end of the tail
called also backbone, spine, vertebral column
More from Merriam-Webster on spinal column
Nglish: Translation of spinal column for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of spinal column for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spinal column
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