Spinal
/ˈspaɪ.nəl/noun
Relating to the spine or spinal cord.
Did you know?Latin spina meant both a thorn and a backbone, linking pain, protection, and structure in one ancient word that later gave English both spinal and spine.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spei-
“to be sharp, pointed”
Latin
Latin
spina
“thorn, spine, backbone”
Late Latin
Latin
spinalis
“of the spine”
Middle English
English
spinal
“pertaining to the spine”
Modern English
English
spinal
“relating to the spine or spinal cord”