spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain lengthwise along the back in the spinal canal, gives off the pairs of spinal nerves, carries impulses to and from the brain, and serves as a center for initiating and coordinating many reflex acts see brain illustration

Examples of spinal cord in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress approved benefits for children of Vietnam veterans who were born with spina bifida, a condition where the spinal cord doesn’t develop properly during pregnancy. —Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026

According to the Mayo Clinic, meningitis is an infection and swelling of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. —Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Meningitis is a life-threatening infection and inflammation of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026

But a few years before our discovery, researchers found that the same protein [called TDP-43] is found in the spinal cords of patients with ALS and in the brains of patients with FTD. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spinal cord

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard

Kids Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain along the back in the cavity of the backbone, branches to form the spinal nerves, carries nerve impulses to and from the brain, and helps to control reflex actions

Medical Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the thick longitudinal cord of nervous tissue that in vertebrates extends along the back dorsal to the bodies of the vertebrae and is enclosed in the spinal canal formed by their neural arches, is continuous anteriorly with the medulla oblongata, gives off at intervals pairs of spinal nerves to the various parts of the trunk and limbs, serves not only as a pathway for nerve impulses to and from the brain but as a center for carrying out and coordinating many reflex actions independently of the brain, and is composed largely of white matter arranged in columns and tracts of longitudinal fibers about a large central core of gray matter somewhat H-shaped in cross section and pierced centrally by a small longitudinal canal continuous with the ventricles of the brain

called also medulla spinalis