vertebral column

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vertebral column 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 The researchers dug up a partial vertebral column, composed of 27 vertebrae in total, from a mine in the Kutch District in Gujarat State on India’s western coast. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 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 His premise was straightforward: a vertebral column consisting of, say, 20 vertebrae, all of them identical, is a simple vertebral column. Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebral column
Noun
  • Manipulating your neck too aggressively or frequently can also strain the muscles surrounding your cervical spine, which can lead to pain, stiffness, or muscle spasms in your neck.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 12 May 2025
  • The third passenger needed extensive physical therapy for damage done to his spine.
    Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • Spinal Stenosis Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal column.
    Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 12 May 2025
  • In the embryo, pigment-producing cells emerge at the point where the spinal column will later develop.
    Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vertebral column.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebral%20column. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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