spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain lengthwise along the back in the spinal canal, gives off the pairs of spinal nerves, carries impulses to and from the brain, and serves as a center for initiating and coordinating many reflex acts see brain illustration

Examples of spinal cord in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The second patient is Wolfgang Jäger, a 54-year-old man from Austria, who has used a wheelchair since a spinal cord injury in 2006. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 8 Dec. 2024

This means treatments are designed to target various pain receptors beyond opioid receptors in the spinal cord. —Heather Margonari, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2024

The sensors in the skin of the hand are among the densest in the body, and are part of a network of nerves that run along the spinal cord. —James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

There are billions in the brain, a dense labyrinth passing information left and right, and the group atop the spinal cord is especially important. —Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the cord of nervous tissue that extends from the brain along the back in the cavity of the backbone, branches to form the spinal nerves, carries nerve impulses to and from the brain, and helps to control reflex actions

Medical Definition

spinal cord

noun

: the thick longitudinal cord of nervous tissue that in vertebrates extends along the back dorsal to the bodies of the vertebrae and is enclosed in the spinal canal formed by their neural arches, is continuous anteriorly with the medulla oblongata, gives off at intervals pairs of spinal nerves to the various parts of the trunk and limbs, serves not only as a pathway for nerve impulses to and from the brain but as a center for carrying out and coordinating many reflex actions independently of the brain, and is composed largely of white matter arranged in columns and tracts of longitudinal fibers about a large central core of gray matter somewhat H-shaped in cross section and pierced centrally by a small longitudinal canal continuous with the ventricles of the brain

called also medulla spinalis