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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

backbone.

The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.

8 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈbækˌbəʊn/UK/ˈbækˌboʊn/US
  1. The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.

    countable
  2. Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.

    countable · figuratively
    Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
  3. Courage, fortitude, or strength.

    figuratively · uncountable
    He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English bakbon, bakebon, bac-bon; equivalent to back + bone. Compare the semantically analogous English ridgebone.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.