backbone

1. A central cohesive source of support and stability (synset 105702197)
   "faith is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm"
   is a type of: support - something providing immaterial assistance to a person or cause or interest
   same as: anchor, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin, mainstay
2. Fortitude and determination (synset 105039506)
   "he didn't have the guts to try it"
   domain usage: colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
   is a type of: fortitude - strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage
   same as: grit, gumption, guts, moxie, sand
3. The series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord (synset 105595824)
   "the fall broke his back"
   is a type of: skeletal structure - any structure created by the skeleton of an organism
   subtypes:

   • notochord - a flexible rodlike structure that forms the supporting axis of the body in the lowest chordates and lowest vertebrates and in embryos of higher vertebrates
   • chine - backbone of an animal
   has:

   • canalis vertebralis, spinal canal, vertebral canal - the canal in successive vertebrae through which the spinal cord passes
   • coccyx, tail bone - the end of the vertebral column in humans and tailless apes
   • vertebra - one of the bony segments of the spinal column
   • intervertebral disc, intervertebral disk - a fibrocartilaginous disc serving as a cushion between all of the vertebrae of the spinal column (except between the first two)
   is a part of: axial skeleton - the part of the skeleton that includes the skull and spinal column and sternum and ribs
   same as: back, rachis, spinal column, spine, vertebral column
4. 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 (synset 104285118)
   "the title and author were printed on the spine of the book"
   is a type of: part, portion - something less than the whole of a human artifact
   is a part of: book, volume - physical objects consisting of a number of pages bound together
   same as: spine
5. The part of a network that connects other networks together (synset 102771438)
   "the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic"
   is a type of: connecter, connection, connective, connector, connexion - an instrumentality that connects
   is a part of: mesh, meshing, meshwork, net, network - an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals

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