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# spine

«spine» in Mova's school dictionary: **The row of small bones (vertebrae) down the middle of…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a spine, spines)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The row of small bones (vertebrae) down the middle of your back, also called the backbone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#m1)

2) A sharp, pointed part on an animal or plant, like the spines of a hedgehog or a cactus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#m2)

3) The back edge of a book, where the pages are joined and the title is usually printed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#m3)

4) Courage: having the spine to do something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science, the spine protects the spinal cord, which carries messages between the brain and the body. Animals with a backbone are vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals); animals without are invertebrates (insects, worms, slugs, jellyfish). In safety, sitting well and lifting with your legs protects your spine; never move someone who may have hurt their neck or back — call for help. In libraries, the spine shows the title so you can find books on a shelf. Phrases: "spine-chilling" (scary), "a book spine", "cactus spines", "shivers down my spine".

### examples

- Your spine is made of 33 small bones. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x1)
- Hedgehogs have sharp spines. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x2)
- Careful — cactus spines are prickly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x3)
- Read the title on the spine of the book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x4)
- Animals with a spine are called vertebrates. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x5)
- The ghost story sent shivers down my spine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x6)
- Sit up straight to look after your spine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x7)
- A fish's spine runs from its head to its tail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x8)
- They climbed up the dragon's side and dumped the children down on his icy spine, with their backs against the North Pole. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/#x9)

### note

Countable: a spine, spines. Adjective: spinal (spinal cord). "Spineless" means without a backbone or, about people, not brave. Most adults have 33 vertebrae, some of which join together. Hedgehog spines are hollow hairs; porcupines have quills.

### In the corpora

- [The blue tang has a sharp spine near its tail that it uses like a scalpel for defence.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/90-aquarium-the-coral-reef-tank/7/)
- [A blue tang has a sharp spine like a little knife near its tail that it can flick out to defend itself.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/133-finding-nemo-dory-turtles-and-the-reef/5/)
- [Some caterpillars have hairs or spines that sting or cause rashes, so not every animal that hurts is venomous.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/166-australias-venomous-animals-and-why-few-people-die/13/)
- [A hedgehog wears about five thousand spines, and each one is a stiff, hollow hair.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/214-hedgehogs-spines-hibernation-and-how-to-help-them/0/)
- [Venom is a poison that an animal pushes into another animal with fangs, a sting or a spine, like a tiny syringe.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/246-defences-venom-in-snakes-jellyfish-scorpions-and-the-platypus/0/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «spine» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spine/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.