backbone
/ˈbækˌboʊn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.53 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce."
- "Undoubtedly it can be said that the humble 0-6-0 has been the backbone for general service, or general utility on British railways right from their earliest days, and is likely to remain so."
- "With little regular employment available in East Kent the backbone of the Kent Coast passenger traffic is therefore the commuters, the not inconsiderable numbers of people who travel each day to their work in Faversham, Sittingbourne, the Medway Towns and most of all, London."
- "East [Street] and West Street form a single thoroughfare running as a backbone through the village, flanked by neat, painted cottages of predominantly 18th-century brick."
- "The San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) and other community-based organizations that "provide backbone and leadership" in AIDS services are "reeling under the impact of growing case loads," said Pat Christen, SFAF's new director."
- "The backbone of our research is an extensive corpus of contemporary spoken Esperanto."
Etymology
From Middle English bakbon, bakebon, bac-bon; equivalent to back + bone. Compare the semantically analogous English ridgebone.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: bakbon
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbækˌboʊn/
- British English: /ˈbækˌbəʊn/