backbone

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(băk'bōn') pronunciation
n.
  1. The vertebrate spine or spinal column.
  2. Something, such as the keel of a ship, that resembles a backbone.
  3. A main support or major sustaining factor: the backbone of a thesis.
  4. Geology.
    1. A ridge forming the principal axis of a mountain.
    2. The principal mountain ridge, range, or system of a region.
  5. Chemistry. The main chain of atoms in a polymer.
  6. Strength of character; determination: displayed grit and backbone in facing adversity.
backboned back'boned' adj.

The part of a network that handles the major traffic. It employs the highest-speed transmission paths in the network and may also run the longest distances. Smaller networks are attached to the backbone, and networks that directly connect to the end user or customer are called "access networks."

A backbone can span a geographic area of any size from a single building to an office complex to an entire country. Or, it can be as small as a backplane in a single cabinet. See collapsed backbone and ISP.

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n

Definition: strength of character
Antonyms: ineptness, powerlessness, spinelessness, weakness

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sign description: One hand points to the back, followed by both G-hands moving away from each other.




  1. (in biochemistry) the sequence of bonded atoms of a polymer to which the side groups and/or the side chains are attached.
  2. (in zoology) the vertebral column or spine.

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to backbone, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Backbone.

Backbone may refer to:


Translations:

Backbone

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - rygrad

Nederlands (Dutch)
ruggengraat, wervelkolom

Français (French)
n. - colonne vertébrale, épine dorsale, arête dorsale (pour un poisson)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rückgrat, Wirbelsäule

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ραχοκοκαλιά, σπονδυλική στήλη, δύναμη χαρακτήρα, αποφασιστικότητα, ηθικό ανάστημα, αξιοπρέπεια, καρίνα σκάφους

Italiano (Italian)
colonna vertebrale, spina dorsale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - coluna (f) vertebral, suporte (m) principal, determinação (f), pilar (m) (de uma organização)

Русский (Russian)
позвоночник, костяк, храбрость

Español (Spanish)
n. - tabla de respaldo o refuerzo, columna vertebral, espina dorsal, espinazo, pilar, elemento principal

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ryggrad

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
脊椎, 骨干, 中枢

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 脊椎, 骨幹, 中樞

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 척추, 분수령, 중추

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 背骨, 背, 中心的な支え, 中堅, 主力, 気骨

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) العمود الفقري - الاساس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עמוד-השדרה, חוט-שדרה, תקיפות-דעת, גב של ספר (ארה"ב), עמוד-התווך‬


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vertebrates (Science)
invertebrate (invertebrate zoology)