spine

English Online Dictionary. What means spine‎? What does spine mean?

English

Etymology

From late Middle English spyne, from Old French espine (French épine) or its source, Latin spīna (“a thorn; a prickle, spine; the backbone”). Doublet of spina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spaɪn/
• Rhymes: -aɪn

Noun

spine (plural spines)

1. (anatomy, zootomy) A series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen.

   Synonyms: backbone, spinal column, vertebral column

   Hyponyms: C-spine, cervical spine, L-spine, railway spine, T-spine

   1. (figurative) Courage or assertiveness.
2. Something resembling a backbone, such as a ridge, or a long, central structure from which other structures radiate.

   Hyponyms: anterior superior iliac spine, dendritic spine, neural spine
4. The narrow, bound edge of a book that encloses the inner edges of the pages, facing outwards when the book is on a shelf and typically bearing the title and the author's and publisher's name.

   Synonym: back
6. (zootomy, botany, mycology) A pointed, fairly rigid protuberance or needlelike structure on an animal, shell, mushroom or plant.

   Synonyms: needle, prickle, (on animals, flexible) quill, spicule, (rigid) spike, (on plants) thorn, (obsolete) virgula
7. (botany) The heartwood of trees.
8. (neuroscience) Ellipsis of dendritic spine..
9. A linear payscale operated by some large organizations that allows flexibility for local and specific conditions.

   Synonym: pay spine

10. (geology) A tall mass of viscous lava extruded from a volcano.
11. The stiffness of an arrow.
12. A central part which supports a whole; core.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

• “spine”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “spine”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Further reading

• “spine”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Snipe, penis, espin, Ipsen, peins, epsin, snipe, penis, pines, Pines, Espin

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin spīna.

Noun

spine f (plural spinis)

1. thorn
2. spine, prickle

Related terms

• spin

Italian

Noun

spine f

1. plural of spina

Anagrams

• pensi, pinse

Latin

Noun

spīne

1. vocative singular of spīnus

Middle English

Noun

spine

1. Alternative form of spyne