spina bifida

noun

spi·​na bi·​fi·​da ˌspī-nə-ˈbi-fə-də 

: a congenital cleft of the spinal column with hernial protrusion of the meninges and sometimes the spinal cord

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The doctor explained that the baby might have a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. —Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, 8 Feb. 2023

Cash has spina bifida, a condition that affects his spine and relegates him to a wheelchair, but doesn’t confine his energy and enthusiasm for basketball and life. —Dallas News, 5 Jan. 2023

He was born in Maryland with spina bifida, a condition in which the backbone and the spinal cord do not develop properly, and began participating in adaptive sports programs as a young child. —Talya Minsberg Clark Hodgin, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2022

Mark Chenoweth has spina bifida, a birth defect that leaves the spinal cord exposed or otherwise unprotected by vertebrae. —Christian Millman, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2019

The youngest babies are sometimes the most underserved: Many families, and even doctors, don’t realize that children born with conditions like Down syndrome and spina bifida automatically qualify for early intervention, as do most babies who spend time in hospital neonatal intensive care units. —Sarah Carr, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2023

October is awareness month for eye injuries (and home eye safety), breast cancer, ADHD, dental hygiene, Down syndrome, spina bifida, sudden infant death syndrome and sudden cardiac arrest, which most people are probably immediately aware of. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2022

Vaccinations will expand the week of Jan. 25 to those age 75 and older and those with certain developmental and medical disorders, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, congenital heart disease and Type 1 diabetes. —Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2021

Wheelz, 29, who has endured 23 surgeries to correct physical disabilities due to the spinal condition spina bifida, is a seasoned extreme athlete and has performed the front flip before. —Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin, literally, spine split in two

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

spina bifida

noun

spina bi·​fi·​da

-ˈbif-ə-də also -ˈbīf-

: a neural tube defect marked by congenital cleft of the spinal column usually with hernial protrusion of the meninges and sometimes the spinal cord see meningocele, myelocele, myelomeningocele