as in spine
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal
carefully reconstructed the vertebral column of the dinosaur
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Recent Examples of vertebral column
The remains included parts of the lower jaw, vertebral column, and pelvic girdle.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Although many of its bones were unearthed from the Morrison Formation in Colorado in 2021-2022, its skull and parts of its vertebral column were missing, leaving scientists unsure of its precise length.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
The Chicago fossil possesses the only vertebral column of an Archaeopteryx, which includes two tiny vertebrae at the tip of the tail, showing there were a total of 24 vertebrae, one more than previously thought.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
The vertebral column comprises individual vertebral bones with spinal discs between each bone.
—Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2025
Shimada’s team used incomplete fossils of the megalodon’s vertebral column and compared them to the bodies of 165 other living and extinct shark species to extrapolate the animal’s size.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2025
The researchers followed up in 2022 with a reconstructed 3D model, extrapolating the dimensions from a megalodon specimen (a vertebral column) in Belgium.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2025
When bending to lift from the floor, force is exerted by the lower back muscles and the vertebral column is the pivot point.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 30 May 2024
So to determine the complexity of a vertebral column, McShea measured how different the individual vertebrae were from one another along six separate dimensions-- length, thickness at the thickest point, and so on.
—Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Although many of its bones were unearthed from the Morrison Formation in Colorado in 2021-2022, its skull and parts of its vertebral column were missing, leaving scientists unsure of its precise length.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
The Chicago fossil possesses the only vertebral column of an Archaeopteryx, which includes two tiny vertebrae at the tip of the tail, showing there were a total of 24 vertebrae, one more than previously thought.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
The vertebral column comprises individual vertebral bones with spinal discs between each bone.
—Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2025
Shimada’s team used incomplete fossils of the megalodon’s vertebral column and compared them to the bodies of 165 other living and extinct shark species to extrapolate the animal’s size.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2025
The researchers followed up in 2022 with a reconstructed 3D model, extrapolating the dimensions from a megalodon specimen (a vertebral column) in Belgium.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2025
When bending to lift from the floor, force is exerted by the lower back muscles and the vertebral column is the pivot point.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 30 May 2024
So to determine the complexity of a vertebral column, McShea measured how different the individual vertebrae were from one another along six separate dimensions-- length, thickness at the thickest point, and so on.
—Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebral column
Noun
-
Its burgundy spine wore out many years ago, so layer on layer of tape tries desperately to cradle over 60 pages of newspaper cuttings documenting every word ever published about her son, Jamie Mitchell.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Coco was diagnosed with scoliosis, with a 45-degree curve in her spine.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gabapentin has proved effective at helping some mastectomy patients with stubborn pain, while others have responded to electrodes implanted in their spinal column, according to the Baylor study, published in 2024.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The creatures on this list literally lack spinal columns…and yet attain relatively massive proportions.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vertebral column.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebral%20column. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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