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VERTEBRA
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: vertebrae
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
One of the bony segments of the spinal column
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("vertebra" is a kind of...):
bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)
Meronyms (parts of "vertebra"):
centrum (the main body of a vertebra)
apophysis ((anatomy) a natural outgrowth or projection on an organ or body part such as the process of a vertebra)
transverse process (one of two processes that extend from each vertebra and provide the point of articulation for the ribs)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vertebra"):
cervical vertebra; neck bone (one of 7 vertebrae in the human spine located in the neck region)
dorsal vertebra; thoracic vertebra (one of 12 vertebrae in the human vertebral column; thoracic vertebrae extend from the seventh cervical vertebra down to the first lumbar vertebra)
lumbar vertebra (one of 5 vertebrae in the human vertebral column; lumbar vertebrae extend from the twelfth thoracic vertebra down to the sacral vertebrae)
sacral vertebra (one of 5 vertebrae in the human spine that fuse in the adult to form the sacrum)
caudal vertebra; coccygeal vertebra (one of 4 vertebrae in the human coccyx)
Holonyms ("vertebra" is a part of...):
back; backbone; rachis; spinal column; spine; vertebral column (the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord)
Derivation:
vertebral (of or relating to or constituting vertebrae)
Context examples:
A benign or malignant bone tumor, usually arising in the end of long bones or the vertebrae.
(Giant Cell Tumor of Bone, NCI Thesaurus)
A bony tooth-like process projecting from the second cervical vertebra.
(Odontoid Process, NCI Thesaurus)
A synovial joint between two adjacent vertebrae.
(Facet Joint, NCI Thesaurus)
Those vertebrae immediately behind (caudal to) the skull, C1-C7 in man.
(Cervical Spine, NCI Thesaurus)
Any one of the three sympathetic ganglia of the cervical vertebrae.
(Cervical Ganglia, NCI Thesaurus)
The seventh of the seven cervical vertebrae.
(C7 Vertebra, NCI Thesaurus)
The fourth of the seven cervical vertebrae.
(C4 Vertebra, NCI Thesaurus)
The spine is basically like a series of beads on a string, with each bead representing a single bone — a vertebra.
(What makes a mammal a mammal? Our spine, say scientists, National Science Foundation)
The joint located between the atlas and occipital vertebrae.
(Atlanto-Occipital Joint, NCI Thesaurus)
It causes swelling between your vertebrae, which are the disks that make up your spine, and in the joints between your spine and pelvis.
(Ankylosing Spondylitis, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease)
