medical Definition of cauda equina
plural caudae equinae
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\-ek-ˈwē-ˌnī, -ē-ˈkwī-ˌnē\
: the roots of the spinal nerves that extend beyond the termination of the spinal cord at the first lumbar vertebra in the form of a bundle of filaments within the vertebral canal resembling a horse's tail
- From its tip at the base of the spine, about 20 stringy nerves—called the cauda equina, or horse's tail—travel downward within a fluid-filled sac.
- —Bruce H. Dobkin, Discover, November 1996
