 backbone |
||
| 1. | [ noun ] (informal) fortitude and determination | |
| Synonyms: | guts gumption sand moxie grit | |
| Examples: | "he didn't have the guts to try it" |
|
| Related terms: | fortitude colloquialism | |
| 2. | [ noun ] a central cohesive source of support and stability | |
| Synonyms: | anchor lynchpin linchpin keystone mainstay | |
| Examples: | "faith is his anchor" "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money" "he is the linchpin of this firm" |
|
| Related terms: | support anchor | |
| 3. | [ noun ] (anatomy,zoology) the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord | |
| Synonyms: | spine vertebral_column back rachis spinal_column | |
| Examples: | "the fall broke his back" |
|
| Related terms: | skeletal_structure notochord chine axial_skeleton vertebra coccyx intervertebral_disc spinal_canal | |
| 4. | [ noun ] (computer science) the part of a network that connects other networks together | |
| Examples: | "the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic" |
|
| Related terms: | connection computer_network network | |
| Similar spelling: |
backbend backbench backbencher backband |
|
