n., pl., -brae (-brā', -brē'), or -bras.
Any of the bones or cartilaginous segments forming the spinal column.
[Middle English, from Latin, from vertere, to turn.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.