Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vertebra

/ˈvɝ.təb.ɹə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English

Syllables: ver-te-bra
IPA: /ˈvɝ.təb.ɹə/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of the bony or cartilaginous segments which make up the backbone, consisting in some lower vertebrates of several distinct elements which never become united, and in higher vertebrates having a short more or less cylindrical body whose ends articulate by pads of elastic or cartilaginous tissue with those of adjacent vertebrae and a bony arch that encloses the spinal cord.

Example Sentences

"Already I seemed to hear the water rippling against the desiccated bones and rattling them together, rolling my skull against Mahomed's, and his against mine, till at last Mahomed's stood straight up upon its vertebræ, and glared at me through its empty eyeholes, and cursed me with its grinning jaws, because I, a dog of a Christian, disturbed the last sleep of a true believer."

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin vertebra (“a joint”), from vertō (“to turn”) + -bra (instrumental nominal suffix). Having multiple vertebrae (plural of vertebra) in one's backbone instead of having a single bone or solid spine, allows for the movement of the body with bends and turns. Hence meaning 1.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *wert-, vertebra

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈvɝ.təb.ɹə/
British English: /ˈvɜː.tɪb.ɹə/

Inflected Forms

vertebrae (plural) vertebræ (obsolete, plural) vertebras (plural)

Derived Forms

hemivertebra prevertebra protovertebra sternebra vertebral vertebraless vertebrate vertebrectomy

Phrases

cervical vertebra coccygeal vertebra lumbar vertebra sacral vertebra thoracic vertebra vertebro- vertebr-

Frequently Paired Words

vertebrally coccyx

Synonyms

spondyle vertebra

Rhymes With

protovertebra hemivertebra prevertebra

Questions

How do you pronounce vertebra?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvɝ.təb.ɹə/.
What does vertebra mean?: Any of the bony or cartilaginous segments which make up the backbone, consisting in some lower vertebrates of several distinct elements which never become united, and in higher vertebrates having a short more or less cylindrical body whose ends articulate by pads of elastic or cartilaginous tissue with those of adjacent vertebrae and a bony arch that encloses the spinal cord.
Where does vertebra come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce vertebra

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