spinal

adjective

spi·nal | \ˈspī-nᵊl

Definition of spinal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column

2a : of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord spinal reflexes

b : having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain experiments on spinal animals

3 : of, relating to, or resembling a spine

spinal

noun

Definition of spinal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a spinal anesthetic

Examples of spinal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Spokesman Michael Mule said the initial surgery was a follow-up to initial surgery on Arrington's abdomen, while the second was for a spinal fracture and lasted about six hours. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "GOP House candidate Katie Arrington undergoes surgeries after car crash," 24 June 2018 Burrage suffered head injuries and spinal fractures, as well as losing her left ear. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Doctors Grow Replacement Ear Inside Patient's Arm," 10 May 2018 She was thrown from the vehicle, and suffered head injuries, spinal compression fractures and the total loss of her left ear. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Army Doctors Grew a Soldier a New Ear — On Her Forearm," 10 May 2018 Minimally-Invasive Procedures Bring Immediate Pain Relief for Those With Spinal Compression Fractures Unfortunately, with age, spinal compression fracture risk increases. — Brian Sodoma, azcentral, "A better way to heal," 27 Apr. 2018 The other victim suffered a broken nose, a broken eye socket, a broken neck, a brain hemorrhage, a spinal fracture and memory impairment. — CBS News, "San Francisco officer known as "Hot Cop" sentenced to jail in hit-and-run crash," 5 Apr. 2018 The next summer, another teen was concussed, and a 20-year-old woman suffered a slipped spinal disk. — Author: Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Anchorage Daily News, "They helped design a record-breaking waterslide – and were arrested after it decapitated a boy," 3 Apr. 2018 In June 2017, my father sustained a spinal-cord injury while surfing in Nicaragua, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. — Nash Jenkins, Time, "Remembering Conservative Thinker Charles Krauthammer, 68," 28 June 2018 Jayden suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. — Mari A. Schaefer, Philly.com, "Second family challenges CHOP decision to remove child from life support," 16 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

At 6 months old, Stevie Browning was diagnosed with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy — the most severe — and was predicted to live between eight months and two years, said his mother, Samantha Angell. — Tessa Weinberg, chicagotribune.com, "Northwestern students give 'freedom' by retrofitting motorized cars for kids with disabilities," 1 July 2018 The drug, known as AVXS-101, could be approved for Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy by the end of this year, according to Wells Fargo’s Jim Birchenough, whose price target of $171 implies another 34 percent upside for the shares. — Bailey Lipschultz, Bloomberg.com, "Biotech Stock Draws Skeptics Even as It Rallies to New Highs," 7 Mar. 2018 The report, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, identified a major cause of miscarriages, in addition to heart, spinal, kidney and cleft palate problems in newborn babies. — Rob Taylor, WSJ, "Spread the News: Vitamin B3 in Vegemite Prevents Some Birth Defects," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.