spine Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
    rachis; spinal column; vertebral column; backbone; back.
    • the fall broke his back
  2. noun any sharply pointed projection
    spur; acantha.
  3. noun a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf
    pricker; thorn; prickle; spikelet; sticker.
  4. noun the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved
    backbone.
    • the title and author were printed on the spine of the book
  5. noun a sharp rigid animal process or appendage; as a porcupine quill or a ridge on a bone or a ray of a fish fin

WordNet

Spine noun
Etymology
L. spina thorn, the spine; akin to spica a point: cf. OF. espine, F. épine. Cf. Spike, Spinet a musical instrument, Spinny.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A sharp appendage to any of a plant; a thorn.
  2. (Zoöl.) (a) A rigid and sharp projection upon any part of an animal. (b) One of the rigid and undivided fin rays of a fish.
  3. (Anat.) The backbone, or spinal column, of an animal; -- so called from the projecting processes upon the vertebræ.
  4. Anything resembling the spine or backbone; a ridge.

Webster 1913