spine

C1 Topic:The Human Body

US /spaɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #7170

Meanings

1

noun
The line of bones down the centre of the back; the backbone.

She injured her spine in the fall and had to wear a brace.
2

noun
The narrow, bound edge of a book that faces outward on a shelf and usually shows the title.

The title and author were printed on the spine of the book.
3

noun
A sharp, stiff point on an animal or plant.

A hedgehog is covered in sharp spines for protection.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the line of bones down the... backbonespinal columnvertebral column

2 noun · the narrow, bound edge of a... back backbone

3 noun · a sharp, stiff point on an... needle prickle quill spike thorn

Word family

Forms spinesspinosespiny

Derived forms albaspinedespinedrop-spinefinspinefourspineholospineinterspinemicrospinemultispineprotospinespin-spinal

Related forms spiniferousspinigerousspinigradespinoidalspinule

Simplified etymology

Spine comes from Latin spina, “thorn, prickle, or backbone.” Its use for the back of a book is recorded from the 1920s.

Etymology

From late Middle English spyne, from Old French espine (French épine) or its source, Latin spīna (“a thorn; a prickle, spine; the backbone”). Doublet of spina.

*spey- Proto-Indo-European spyne Middle English espine Old French spīna Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# spine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /spaɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 7170

## Meanings
1. The line of bones down the centre of the back; the backbone.
2. The narrow, bound edge of a book that faces outward on a shelf and usually shows the title.
3. A sharp, stiff point on an animal or plant.

## Examples
- She injured her spine in the fall and had to wear a brace.
- The title and author were printed on the spine of the book.
- A hedgehog is covered in sharp spines for protection.

## Derived Forms
- albaspine
- despine
- drop-spine
- finspine
- fourspine
- holospine
- interspine
- microspine
- multispine
- protospine
- spin-
- spinal

## Related Forms
- spiniferous
- spinigerous
- spinigrade
- spinoidal
- spinule

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *spey-
- Root: spyne
- Root: espine
- Root: spīna

## Etymology
From late Middle English spyne, from Old French espine (French épine) or its source, Latin spīna (“a thorn; a prickle, spine; the backbone”). Doublet of spina.

## AI Etymology
Spine comes from late Middle English spyne, from Old French espine (French épine) or its source, Latin spīna (“a thorn; a prickle, spine; the backbone”). Doublet of spina. The historical chain includes *spey- (Proto-Indo-European), spyne (Middle English), espine (Old French), and spīna (Latin). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as albaspine, despine, drop-spine, and finspine and related forms such as spiniferous, spinigerous, and spinigrade. In present use it covers the line of bones down the centre of the back; the backbone, the narrow, bound edge of a book that faces outward on a shelf and usually shows the title, and a sharp, stiff point on an animal or plant.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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