1.
[syn: spina bifida, rachischisis, schistorrhachis]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Spina bifida \Spi"na bif"i*da\ (Med.) [L., cleft spine.]
A congenital malformation in which the spinal column is cleft
at its lower portion, and the membranes of the spinal cord
project as an elastic swelling from the gap thus formed.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
spina bifida
n 1: a not uncommon congenital defect in which a vertebra is
malformed; unless several vertebrae are affected or there
is myelomeningocele there are few symptoms; can be
diagnosed by amniocentesis [syn: spina bifida,
rachischisis, schistorrhachis]