Vertebral-column
noun
1.
spinal column.
vertebral column
noun
1.
another name for spinal column
vertebral column n.
See spinal column.
vertebral column
(vûr’tə-brəl)
The series of vertebrae extending from the base of the skull to the tip of the tail that forms the supporting axis of the body in vertebrate animals. In humans and tailless apes, the vertebral column ends with the coccyx (tailbone). It encloses and protects the spinal cord and provides a stable attachment for the muscles of the trunk. Also called backbone, spinal column, spine.
Read Also:
- Vertebral foramen
vertebral foramen n. The opening formed by the union of the vertebral arch with its body.
- Vertebral formula
vertebral formula n. A formula indicating the number of vertebrae in each segment of the spinal column.
- Vertebral nerve
vertebral nerve n. A nerve that arises from the cervicothoracic ganglion, ascends along the vertebral artery to the level of the axis or atlas, and gives branches to the cervical nerves and meninges.
- Vertebral rib
vertebral rib n. See floating rib.
- Vertebral vein
vertebral vein n. Either of two veins that derive from tributaries that run through the foramina in the transverse processes of the first six cervical vertebrae and form a plexus around the vertebral artery and that empty as a single trunk into the brachiocephalic vein, designated right and left.