spinal

play

adjective spi·nal \ˈspī-n^əl\

Definition of spinal

1 : of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2a : of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord spinal reflexesb : 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

See spinal defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of spinal from the Web

The 26th annual game supported the Adam Taliaferro Foundation, named after the former Eastern High School and Penn State football player who suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a 2000 game and was paralyzed.

— jake lourim, Philly.com, "Tempers flare as Blue team prevails in Taliaferro All-Star Game", 29 June 2017
A month earlier, Baltimore paid $6.4 million to the family of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury in police custody.

— Washington Post, "Ferguson attorney: Brown family settlement $1.5 million", 23 June 2017
Spinal twist: In a seated position with feet flat on the floor, hold on to the arms of the chair, and turn your upper body in one direction, lower body the other way.

— simone kitchens, Glamour, "Clear Mind, Clear Skin? How Being Present Changed My Beauty Routine", 21 June 2017
A botched spinal procedure in 2014 paralyzed her from the waist down.

— travis m. andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Robotics are helping paralyzed people walk again, but the price tag is enormous", 10 June 2017
In addition, the researchers have been approved to start another spinal cord injury trial with a different set of cells.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Stem cell-based spinal cord therapy expanded to more patients", 5 June 2017
About 40 volunteers are having the drugs injected into their spinal fluid.

— bob young, chicagotribune.com, "Huntington’s disease is going to kill him, but this Wash. scientist is tackling it head-on", 2 June 2017
About 40 volunteers are having the drugs injected into their spinal fluid.

— bob young, The Seattle Times, "Huntington’s disease is going to kill him, but this Bellingham scientist is tackling it head-on", 30 May 2017
The reigning NBA Coach of the Year is still not feeling well after a May 5 procedure at Duke University to repair a spinal fluid leak stemming from back surgery complications nearly two years ago.

— janie mccauley, The Seattle Times, "Kerr not well yet, but hasn’t ruled himself out for Game 1", 29 May 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.

First Known Use of spinal

1578

spinal

noun spi·nal

Definition of spinal

: a spinal anesthetic

First Known Use of spinal

1944

SPINAL Defined for English Language Learners

spinal

play

adjective

Definition of spinal for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or affecting the spine

SPINAL Defined for Kids

spinal

play

adjective spi·nal \ˈspī-n^əl\

Definition of spinal for Students

: of, relating to, or located near the backbone or the spinal cord a spinal injury

Medical Dictionary

spinal

play

adjective spi·nal \ˈspīn-^əl\

Medical Definition of spinal

1: of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2a: of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord spinal reflexesb: having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain experiments on spinal animalsc: used for spinal anesthesia a spinal anesthetic
3: made for or fitted to the spinal column a spinal brace