Adjacent Words

Backbone definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BACKBO'NE, n. [back and bone.] The bone of the back; or the spine.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a central cohesive source of support and stability; "faith is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [syn: anchor, mainstay, keystone, backbone, linchpin, lynchpin]
2: fortitude and determination; "he didn't have the guts to try it" [syn: backbone, grit, guts, moxie, sand, gumption]
3: the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back" [syn: spinal column, vertebral column, spine, backbone, back, rachis]
4: the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved; "the title and author were printed on the spine of the book" [syn: spine, backbone]
5: the part of a network that connects other networks together; "the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic"

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century 1. spinal column, spine 2. something that resembles a backbone: as a. a chief mountain ridge, range, or system b. the foundation or most substantial or sturdiest part of something c. the longest chain of atoms or groups of atoms in a usually long molecule (as a polymer or protein) d. the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of a telecommunications network (as the Internet) 3. firm and resolute character 4. spine 1c • backboned adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the spine. 2 the main support of a structure. 3 firmness of character. 4 US the spine of a book.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Backbone Back"bone", n. [2d back,n.+ bone. ] 1. The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column. 2. Anything like, or serving the purpose of, a backbone. The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the country. --Darwin. We have now come to the backbone of our subject. --Earle. 3. Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness. Shelley's thought never had any backbone. --Shairp. To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. ``Staunch to the backbone.'' --Lord Lytton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(backbones) 1. Your backbone is the column of small linked bones down the middle of your back. = spine N-COUNT 2. The backbone of an organization or system is the part of it that gives it its main strength. The small business people of Britain are the economic backbone of the nation. N-SING: usu with poss

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Spine, spinal column, vertebral column. 2. Firmness, nerve, resolution, courage, pluck, hardihood, manhood, steadfastness, stability, decision, moral principle, stamina.

Moby Thesaurus

advocate, alpenstock, arm, athletic supporter, back, backing, bandeau, bearer, bottom, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, buttress, cane, carrier, cervix, chutzpah, corset, courage, crook, crutch, determination, firmness, fortitude, foundation garment, fulcrum, gameness, girdle, grit, guts, gutsiness, guttiness, guy, guywire, hardihood, heart, heart of oak, intestinal fortitude, jock, jockstrap, mainstay, maintainer, mast, mettle, mettlesomeness, moxie, neck, nerve, pillar, pith, pluck, pluckiness, prop, purposefulness, rachis, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, rest, resting place, rigging, sand, shoulder, shroud, spinal column, spine, spirit, sprit, spunk, spunkiness, stability, staff, stamina, standing rigging, stave, stay, staying power, stick, stiffener, stout heart, strength, strengthener, sturdiness, support, supporter, sustainer, toughness, true grit, upholder, vertebrae, vertebral column, walking stick, will