From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Biologyvertebraver‧te‧bra /ˈvɜːtəbrə $ ˈvɜːr-/ noun (plural vertebrae /-briː, -breɪ/) [countable]HBone of the small hollowbones down the centre of your back —vertebral adjective [only before noun]Examples from the Corpusvertebra• I liked biology a lot more amoebas and vertebrae.• In the summer of 1988 paleontologists in western Colorado uncovered the 135-million-year-old pelvis and vertebrae of Supersaurus.• He crumpled to the ice with a shatteredfourthcervicalvertebra, his body paralyzed from the neck down.• But he suffered two fracturedvertebrae in his neck and a broken lower back in a crash during practice two weeks ago.• He danced around the area, shaking an Ascon, a gourd filled with snakevertebrae.• Backs include the pelvic bones and all the vertebraeposterior to the shoulderjoint.• She was unaware that anyone had approached until she felt a touch on one of the vertebra of her spine.• The vertebrae of the vertebral column are tightly interlocked, creating a rigidfoundation for the tailmuscles.Originvertebra(1600-1700)Latin“joint, vertebra”, from vertere; → VERSE
