spine

Noun

spine (plural spines)

1. 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.
   • If you attentively regard almost any quadruped's spine, you will be struck with the resemblance of its vertebrae to a strung necklace of dwarfed skulls.1851, Herman Melville, chapter 80, in Moby-Dick
   • The preposterous altruism too! […] Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 266

   Synonyms:

   backbone, spinal column, vertebral column

   1. (figuratively) Courage or assertiveness.
      • Trademark Owners will nevertheless try to dictate how their marks are to be represented, but dictionary publishers with spine can resist such pressure.2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 409
2. Something resembling a backbone, such as a ridge, or a long, central structure from which other structures radiate.
   • [Describing scoliosis.] The integuments over the abdomen are folded or wrinkled, the left breast is seldom fully developed, the ribs lose their natural shape, those of the left side becoming straighter, while, on the right side, they are so much curved, as to admit of their being easily grasped by...1838, Samuel Hare, chapter 4, in Practical Observations on the Causes and Treatment of Curvatures of the Spine: With Hygienic Directions for the Physical Culture of Youth, as a Means of Preventing...
   • The posterior muscles of the neck are divided into superficial, intermediate, and deep groups. The most superficial muscle is the trapezius, which originates from the external occipital protuberance and the medial nuchal line of C7 to T12 spinous processes and inserts onto the spine of the scapula...1994, Howard S. An with J. Michael Simpson, “Anatomy of the Cervical Spine”, in Surgery of the Cervical Spine, London: Martin Dunitz, →ISBN, Muscles and Fascia, page 14
3. 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.
   • The spine is the book's backbone. Because the spine is generally all you can see when a book is on the shelf, the spine displays the title and author of the book and is often ornately decorated.1994–2014, “Rare Book Basics: Book Terms Illustrated”, in Powell's City of Books, archived from the original on 05 Jul 2014

   Synonyms:

   back

4. A pointed, fairly rigid protuberance or needlelike structure on an animal, shell, mushroom or plant. The botanical term technically refers to such a structure derived from a leaf or part of a leaf.
   • The male, as Dr. Gunther informs me, has a cluster of stiff, straight spines, like those of a comb, on the sides of the tail.1871, Charles Darwin, “chapter 12”, in Descent of Man, page 331

   Synonyms:

   needle, prickle, quill, spicule, spike, thorn, virgula

5. The heartwood of trees.
6. A linear payscale operated by some large organizations that allows flexibility for local and specific conditions.

   Synonyms:

   pay spine

7. A tall mass of viscous lava extruded from a volcano.
8. The stiffness of an arrow.
9. A central part which supports a whole; core.
   • The false securities of upward mobility have been lampooned by Philip Roth, those of family feality ^([sic]) by many gay novelists. The two meet in Uncle and form the spine of a sly, knowing, and ultimately uncompassionate novel.1979 February 10, Michael Bronski, “An American Dream”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 28, page 11