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

Yet he’s still asked whether there are any new ways to treat spinal cord injuries or paralysis caused by gun violence. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Some babies retain an embryonic remnant of a tail, but this is extremely rare and such tails typically lack bone and cartilage and are not part of the spinal cord, another team of researchers reported in 2012. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024

While folate gets most of the attention as a pregnancy nutrition concern, choline plays a critical role in the brain and spinal cord development of the growing baby. —Casey Seiden, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024

Whereas, in mouse models, artificially over-activating the gene protects against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease affecting motor neurons of the spinal cord, which causes progressive weakness and breakdown of muscles. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024

Heather Jarrell, the state’s medical investigator, testified that the bullet punctured Hutchins’ right lung — a lethal wound — and went through her spinal cord. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024

His life was drastically changed when his spinal cord was severed in an accident involving a large piece of equipment in 2013. —Chris Ochsner, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2024

The device is currently in clinical trials, which are open to some individuals who have quadriplegia due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or a spinal cord injury, according to a recruitment pamphlet. —Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024

Vitamin B12 inactivation can lead to weakness, paresthesia or pins-and-needles sensation in the hands, and spinal cord degeneration, Dr. Varun Vorha, director of the Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center, said during committee testimony on the bills. —Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

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