spinal column

SEE SYNONYMS FOR spinal column ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the series of vertebrae in a vertebrate animal forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; spine; backbone.
Also called vertebral column.

Origin of spinal column

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby spinal column

spinal anesthesia, spinal artery, spinal atrophy, spinal block, spinal canal, spinal column, spinal concussion, spinal cord, spinal curvature, spinal decompression, spinal fusion

Words related to spinal column

backbone, spine, rachis, rhachis, vertebrae

British Dictionary definitions for spinal column

spinal column

noun

a series of contiguous or interconnecting bony or cartilaginous segments that surround and protect the spinal cord Also called: spine, vertebral column, rachis Nontechnical name: backbone

Medical definitions for spinal column

spinal column

n.

The series of articulated vertebrae, separated by intervertebral disks and held together by muscles and tendons, that extends from the cranium to the coccyx, encasing the spinal cord and forming the supporting axis of the body. backbone rachis spine vertebral column

Scientific definitions for spinal column

spinal column
[ spī′nəl ]

See vertebral column.