Added 9 October 2026
backbone
/ˈbækˌbəʊn/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about backbone at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- 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.
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Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.
Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
-
Courage, fortitude, or strength.
He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.
Origin
From Middle English bakbon, bakebon, bac-bon; equivalent to back + bone. Compare the semantically analogous English ridgebone.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)