backbone

Noun

WordNet 3.0

a central cohesive source of support and stability“faith is his anchor”“the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money”“he is the linchpin of this firm”Synonyms: anchor mainstay keystone linchpin lynchpin
fortitude and determination“he didn't have the guts to try it”Synonyms: grit guts moxie sand gumption
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord“the fall broke his back”Synonyms: spinal column vertebral column spine back rachis
the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved“the title and author were printed on the spine of the book”Synonyms: spine
the part of a network that connects other networks together“the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic”

Backbone \Back"bone"\ (b[a^]k"b[=o]n`), n. [2d back, n. + bone.] [1913 Webster]

1.The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column. [1913 Webster]

2.Anything like, or serving the purpose of, a backbone. [1913 Webster]

The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the country.— Darwin.[1913 Webster]

We have now come to the backbone of our subject.— Earle.[1913 Webster]

3.Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness. [1913 Webster]

Shelley's thought never had any backbone.— Shairp.[1913 Webster]

To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. "Staunch to the backbone." --Lord Lytton. [1913 Webster]

backbone network backbone

<networking> In a hierarchical network, a top-level network that carries network traffic between the mid-level networks and stub networks that connect to it.

The largest backbone network is the Internet backbone.

(2017-12-02)