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backbone - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'backbone' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Backbone [ n.]
- The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column.
- Anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone.
- Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness.

Meaning of 'backbone' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . backbone [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a central cohesive source of support and stability
Example in sentence:
  • faith is his anchor;
  • he is the linchpin of this firm;
  • the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money
Meaning (2):
- fortitude and determination
Example in sentence:
  • he didn't have the guts to try it
Meaning (3):
- the part of a network that connects other networks together
Example in sentence:
  • the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic
Meaning (4):
- the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
Example in sentence:
  • the fall broke his back
Meaning (5):
- 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
Example in sentence:
  • the title and author were printed on the spine of the book

Nearby Words:

bac baccalaureate baccara baccarat baccare baccate baccated bacchanal bacchanalia bacchanalian

See 'backbone' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Backbone
    Backbone is a single cable segment used in a bus topology to connect computers in a straight line.

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