backbone

English

Etymology

From Middle English bakbon, bakebon, bac-bon, equivalent to back +‎ bone. Compare the semantically analogous Old English hryċġbān (“backbone; spine”), West Frisian rêchbonke (“backbone”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌbəʊn/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌboʊn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

backbone (countable and uncountable, plural backbones)

1. The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.
2. (figuratively) Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.

   Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.

3. (figuratively) Courage, fortitude, or strength.

   He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.

Synonyms

• spine
• spinal column
• vertebral column
• See also Thesaurus:backbone

Translations

backbone — see spine

series of vertebrae that encloses the spinal cord

• Arabic: عَمُود فَقْرِيّ m (ʕamūd faqriyy)
• Armenian: ողնաշար (hy) (oġnašar)
• Azerbaijani: onurğa (az)
• Basque: bizkarrezur
• Brunei Bisaya: boruntud
• Bulgarian: гръбнак (grǎbnak)
• Catalan: columna vertebral f (ground animals and humans), espina dorsal f (fish), espinada f (human)
• Central Dusun: oruntud
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 骨幹／骨干 (zh) (gǔgàn), 骨干 (zh) (gǔgàn), 脊骨 (zh) (jígǔ), 背骨 (zh) (bèigǔ), 脊椎 (zh) (jǐzhuī)

• Coastal Kadazan: tountud
• Czech: páteř (cs) f
• Danish: rygrad c
• Dutch: ruggengraat (nl) m
• Esperanto: vertebraro
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• French: colonne vertébrale (fr) f, rachis (fr) m, épine dorsale (fr) f
• Galician: columna vertebral (gl) f
• Georgian: ხერხემალი (xerxemali)
• German: Rückgrat (de) n, Wirbelsäule (de) f
• Greek: σπονδυλική στήλη (el) f (spondylikí stíli), ραχοκοκαλιά (el) f (rachokokaliá)

  Ancient: ῥάχις f (rhákhis)

• Hebrew: עַמּוּד שִׁדְרָה (he) m ('amúd shidrá)
• Hungarian: gerincoszlop (hu), hátgerinc (hu), gerinc (hu)
• Icelandic: hryggur (is) m
• Interlingue: ,
• Iranun: tangkal
• Irish: cnámh droma m, slat droma m
• Italian: spina dorsale (it) f, colonna vertebrale (it) f, rachide (it) m
• Japanese: 背骨 (せぼね, sebone), 脊椎 (ja) (せきつい, sekitsui), 脊柱 (ja) (せきちゅう, sekichū)
• Kapampangan: gulugud
• Khmer: ឆ្អឹងខ្នង (c’əŋ knɑɑŋ)
• Kimaragang: toruntud
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: columna vertebralis f
• Latvian: mugurkauls m
• Lotud: toruntud
• Macedonian: ’рбет m (’rbet), ки́чма f (kíčma)
• Malay: tulang belakang
• Maori: iwituararo, iwituaroa
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Navajo: íígháán, hwííshgháán
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ryggrad m or f, ryggsøyle m or f, virvelsøyle m or f

  Nynorsk: ryggrad f, ryggsøyle f, virvelsøyle f

• Old English: hryċġbān n
• Persian: ستون فقرات (fa) (sotun-e faqarât)
• Polish: kręgosłup (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: coluna vertebral (pt) f, espinha (pt) f, espinha dorsal (pt) f
• Romanian: coloană vertebrală (ro) f, șira spinării (ro) f (the backbone)
• Russian: позвоно́чник (ru) m (pozvonóčnik), хребе́т (ru) m (xrebét)
• Scottish Gaelic: cnàimh an droma m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: краљеҗница f, кичма f, хрптењача f

  Roman: kralježnica (sh) f, kičma (sh) f, hrptenjača (sh) f

• Slovene: hrbtenica (sl) f
• Spanish: espina dorsal f, columna vertebral (es) f
• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c
• Tagal Murut: baluntur
• Tagalog: guluguran, bangananan, gulugod
• Tambunan Dusun: toruntud
• Tatar: умырткалык (tt) (umırtkalıq)
• Thai: กระดูกสันหลัง (th) (grà-dùuk-sǎn-lǎng)
• Timugon Murut: baluntur
• Turkish: omurga (tr)
• Vietnamese: xương sống (vi)
• Volapük: bäkabom (vo)
• West Coast Bajau: teruntud
• Yami: vokot

any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure

• Arabic: دِعَامَة f (diʕāma)
• Armenian: հիմք (hy) (himkʻ)
• Bulgarian: основа (bg) (osnova), опора (bg) (opora)
• Danish: fundament n, basis c
• Dutch: ruggengraat (nl) m
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• French: épine dorsale (fr) f
• German: Rückgrat (de) n
• Greek: ραχοκοκαλιά (el) f (rachokokaliá)
• Hungarian: gerinc (hu)
• Icelandic: uppistaða f, meginstoð f
• Italian: base (it) f
• Macedonian: по́тпора f (pótpora)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: ryggrad m or f
• Polish: trzon (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: base (pt) f, espinha dorsal (pt) f
• Romanian: coloană vertebrală (ro) f
• Russian: хребе́т (ru) m (xrebét), костя́к (ru) m (kostják), осно́ва (ru) f (osnóva)
• Scottish Gaelic: bun-structar m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: краљеҗница f, кичма f

  Roman: kralježnica (sh) f, kičma (sh) f

• Spanish: columna vertebral (es) f
• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c, grundstomme
• Turkish: omurga (tr)

courage, fortitude, or strength

• Arabic: شَجَاعَة (ar) (šajāʕa)
• Catalan: coratge (ca) m
• Danish: rygrad c
• Finnish: selkäranka (fi)
• French: courage (fr) m
• Georgian: ფხა (pxa)
• German: Rückgrat (de) n
• Hungarian: gerinc (hu), jellem (hu), tartás (hu)
• Icelandic: skapfesta f, bein í nefinu n
• Ido: kurajo (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: coraggio (it) m
• Latvian: mugurkauls m
• Norwegian: ryggrad m or f
• Polish: charakter (pl), kręgosłup (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: firmeza (pt) f
• Russian: сте́ржень (ru) m (stérženʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cùl m
• Slovene: hrbtenica (sl) f
• Spanish: coraje (es) m
• Swedish: ryggrad (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} livenn-gein (br) f
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} tulang belakang (id), ^{(please verify)} tulang punggung (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} spina dorsal
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} spina f
• Old Norse: ^{(please verify)} hryggr m, ^{(please verify)} hryggjarstykki n
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} kičma (sh) f