Definition of "spine" []

• The spinal column of a vertebrate. (noun)
• Zoology Any of various pointed projections, processes, or appendages of animals. (noun)
• Botany A strong, sharp-pointed, usually woody outgrowth from a stem or leaf; a thorn. (noun)
• Something that resembles or suggests a backbone, as: (noun)
• The hinged back of a book. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "For Tanzanian guide George Mavroudis, the animal most likely to send shivers up his spine is the African lion."
• "The last figure may not be surprising as I suspect there may be roughly that number of Christians who hold the same view, but the figure which should send a chill down our spine is the first one."
• "I thought about carrying this symbol out by having it done approximately in the area of my uterus, but then I figured the base of my spine is a more appropriate locale."