spinal

American  

[spahyn-l] / ˈspaɪn l /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to a spine or thornlike structure, especially to the backbone.

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noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a spinal anesthetic.

spinal British  

/ ˈspaɪnəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the spine or the spinal cord

2. denoting a laboratory animal in which the spinal cord has been severed

   a spinal rat

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noun

1. short for spinal anaesthesia

Other Word Forms

• interspinal adjective
• nonspinal adjective
• prespinal adjective
• spinally adverb

Etymology

Origin of spinal

1570–80; < Late Latin spīnālis, equivalent to Latin spīn ( a ) spina + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The scans estimate the date of delivery, check on the growth of the baby and look for health conditions that may affect the brain, heart and spinal cord, among other issues.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

After one to two months of treatment, mice treated with PTH showed clear improvements in their vertebral endplates, the thin layers that separate spinal discs from vertebrae.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

By 2023, he had a heart attack and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and cauda equina syndrome, the latter led to several spinal surgeries.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

His serious spinal injury was triggered by a fall in 2021, which required emergency surgery to prevent paralysis, his manager Theresa Fortier said in a statement at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

But a spinal tap was required before a specific diagnosis could be made, he told me.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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