backbone

English

Etymology

From back + bone.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbækˌbəʊn/, X-SAMPA: /"b{k%b@Un/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

backbone (plural backbones)

1. The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.
2. any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure

   Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.

3. courage, fortitude, or strength

   He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.

Synonyms

• spine
• spinal column
• vertebral column
• See also Wikisaurus:backbone

Translations

series of vertebrae that encloses the spinal cord

• Arabic: عمود فقري (ar) (3amuud fáqriy) m
• Armenian: ողնաշար (hy) (oġnašar)
• Azeri: onurğa (az)
• Bulgarian: гръбнак (bg) (grǎbnak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 骨幹 (cmn), 骨干 (cmn) (gǔgàn), 脊骨 (cmn) (jígǔ), 背骨 (cmn) (bèigǔ), 脊椎 (cmn) (jǐzhuī)

• Czech: páteř (cs) f
• Danish: rygrad (da) c
• Dutch: ruggengraat (nl) m
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• French: colonne vertébrale (fr) f, rachis (fr) m, épine dorsale (fr) f
• German: Rückgrat (de) n, Wirbelsäule (de) f
• Hungarian: gerincoszlop (hu), hátgerinc (hu)
• Icelandic: hryggur (is) m
• Italian: spina dorsale (it) f
• Japanese: 背骨 (ja) (せぼね, sebone), 脊椎 (ja) (せきつい, sekitsui), 脊柱 (ja) (せきちゅう, sekichū)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: بڕبڕه‌

• Latvian: mugurkauls (lv) m
• Macedonian: ’рбет (mk) ('rbet) m, кичма (mk) (kíčma) f
• Navajo: íígháán
• Norwegian: ryggrad (no) m and f
• Polish: kręgosłup (pl) m
• Portuguese: coluna vertebral (pt) f
• Romanian: coloană vertebrală (ro) f, șira spinării (ro) f (the backbone)
• Russian: позвоночник (ru) (pozvonóčnik) m, хребет (ru) (xrebét) m
• Scottish Gaelic: cnàimh an droma (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кичма f

  Roman: kičma f

• Slovene: hrbtenica (sl) f
• Spanish: espina dorsal f, columna vertebral f
• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c
• Tatar: умырткалык (tt) (umırtqalıq)
• Turkish: omurga (tr)
• Vietnamese: xương sống (vi)
• Volapük: bäkabom (vo)

any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure

• Arabic: دعامة (ar) (di3aama) f
• Armenian: հիմք (hy) (himk’)
• Bulgarian: основа (bg) (osnova), опора (bg) (opora)
• Danish: fundament (da) n, basis (da) c
• Dutch: ruggengraat (nl) m
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• French: épine dorsale (fr) f
• German: Rückgrat (de) n
• Hungarian: gerinc (hu)
• Icelandic: uppistaða (is) f, meginstoð (is) f

• Macedonian: потпора (mk) (pótpora) f
• Norwegian: ryggrad (no) m and f
• Polish: trzon (pl) m
• Romanian: coloană vertebrală (ro) f
• Russian: хребет (ru) (xrebét) m, костяк (ru) (kostják) m, основа (ru) (osnóva) f
• Scottish Gaelic: bun-structar (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кичма f

  Roman: kičma f

• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c
• Turkish: omurga (tr)

courage, fortitude, or strength

• Danish: rygrad (da) c
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• German: Rückgrat (de) n
• Hungarian: gerinc (hu)
• Icelandic: skapfesta (is) f, bein í nefinu (is) n
• Latvian: mugurkauls (lv) m

• Norwegian: ryggrad (no) m and f
• Polish: charakter (pl), kręgosłup (pl) m
• Russian: стержень (ru) (stéržen’) m
• Scottish Gaelic: cùl (gd) m
• Slovene: hrbtenica f
• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Serbo-Croatian: kičma f
• Breton: livenn-gein f
• Indonesian: tulang belakang, tulang punggung
• Interlingua: spina dorsal
• Latin: spina f
• Old Norse: hryggr m, hryggjarstykki n
• Portuguese: espinha dorsal f (Brazil)
• Spanish: espina dorsal f