backbone

Noun
US[bak-bohn]/ˈbækˌboʊn/2 syllables
Synonyms: anchormainstaykeystonelinchpinlynchpingritgutsmoxiesandgumptionspinal columnvertebral column

Open English WordNet

Noun (5)

  1. 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: anchormainstaykeystonelinchpinlynchpinType of support
  2. fortitude and determination“he didn't have the guts to try it”Synonyms: gritgutsmoxiesandgumptionType of fortitude
  3. the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord“the fall broke his back”Synonyms: spinal columnvertebral columnspinebackrachisType of skeletal structureKinds chine, notochordPart of axial skeletonParts intervertebral disc, vertebra, spinal canal, coccyx
  4. 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: spineType of part, portionPart of book, volume
  5. the part of a network that connects other networks together“the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic”Type of connection, connexionPart of net, network
Word of the day · Nov 5About this word
gregariousadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Back′bone′ (băk′bōn′), noun

Origin: 2d back, n. + bone.

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

2. Anything like, or serving the purpose of, a backbone.

The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the country.— Charles Robert Darwin
We have now come to the backbone of our subject.— Earle, John

3. Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness.

Shelley's thought never had any backbone.— Shairp.

To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. “Staunch to the backbone.” Lord Lytton.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

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)

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