spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain lengthwise along the back in the spinal canal, gives off the pairs of spinal nerves, carries impulses to and from the brain, and serves as a center for initiating and coordinating many reflex acts see brain illustration

Examples of spinal cord in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So if cells in the head make a different collection of signaling molecules from those in the tail, this can transfer positional information to the developing nervous system, telling it where to form the brain and where to form the spinal cord. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026

The system makes hands-free upright mobility available to eligible wheelchair users living with spinal cord injuries at any level, who can manually operate the device’s controller. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026

After 16 months of radiation and chemotherapy, a September 2025 scan showed the cancer had spread to his spinal cord, a condition called leptomeningeal disease that usually proves fatal within a few months. — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Lasko suffered the spinal cord injury in a collision with a teammate June 30 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, with both arms affected, too. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spinal cord

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard

Kids Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain along the back in the cavity of the backbone, branches to form the spinal nerves, carries nerve impulses to and from the brain, and helps to control reflex actions

Medical Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the thick longitudinal cord of nervous tissue that in vertebrates extends along the back dorsal to the bodies of the vertebrae and is enclosed in the spinal canal formed by their neural arches, is continuous anteriorly with the medulla oblongata, gives off at intervals pairs of spinal nerves to the various parts of the trunk and limbs, serves not only as a pathway for nerve impulses to and from the brain but as a center for carrying out and coordinating many reflex actions independently of the brain, and is composed largely of white matter arranged in columns and tracts of longitudinal fibers about a large central core of gray matter somewhat H-shaped in cross section and pierced centrally by a small longitudinal canal continuous with the ventricles of the brain

called also medulla spinalis