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   spine

   /spīn/

   noun

   • 1. a series of vertebrae extending from the skull to the small of the back, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen; the backbone: "a soft voice that sent a shiver down her spine" Similar backbonespinal columnvertebral columnvertebraebacktechnical:dorsumrachis
   • ▪ a thing's central feature or main source of strength: "players who will form the spine of our team" Similar mainstaybackbonecornerstonefoundationbasis
   • ▪ resolution or strength of character. Similar strength of characterstrength of willfirmness of purposefirmnessresolutionresolvedeterminationfortitudemettlemoral fiberbackbonesteelnervespiritpluckpluckinesscouragecourageousnessbraverybravenessvalormanlinessinformal:gutsgritspunkbottlevulgar slang:ballsOpposite weakness
   • 2. the part of a book's jacket or cover that encloses the inner edges of the pages, facing outward when the book is on a shelf and typically bearing the title and the author's name.
   • 3. any hard, pointed defensive projection or structure, such as a prickle of a hedgehog, a spike-like projection on a sea urchin, a sharp ray in a fish's fin, or a spike on the stem of a plant. Similar needlequillbristlebarbspikepricklethorntechnical:spiculespiculaspiculumspinule
   • 4. a tall mass of viscous lava extruded from a volcano: "the Mt. Pelee spine was exceptional only for its extreme height—over 300 meters"

   Word Origin late Middle English: shortening of Old French espine, or from Latin spina ‘thorn, prickle, backbone’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. spined adjective

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • S

     1

   • P

     3

   • I

     1

   • N

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   • E

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