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
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
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
-
The lines between life and art, truth and fiction, get mighty blurry in Trier’s emotionally expansive, extremely wry film, though the family drama itself is just a spine on which to hang any number of other fixations and preoccupations.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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What started as a clear, sunny climb quickly turned catastrophic as an unexpected blizzard struck – triggering one of the most severe storms ever recorded in the Pyrenees, the mountain spine of southern Europe.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Spinal stenosis, which causes the spinal column to tighten, and kyphosis, which causes a curved spine, are two types.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Deshong told the jury the inmate suffered a fractured spine that required surgery because there was blood in his spinal column.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vertebral column.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebral%20column. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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