SPINAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spinal mean? 

• SPINAL (noun)
  The noun SPINAL has 1 sense:

1. anesthesia of the lower half of the body; caused by injury to the spinal cord or by injecting an anesthetic beneath the arachnoid membrane that surrounds the spinal cord

  Familiarity information: SPINAL used as a noun is very rare.

• SPINAL (adjective)
  The adjective SPINAL has 1 sense:

1. of or relating to the spine or spinal cord

  Familiarity information: SPINAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPINAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Anesthesia of the lower half of the body; caused by injury to the spinal cord or by injecting an anesthetic beneath the arachnoid membrane that surrounds the spinal cord

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

spinal; spinal anaesthesia; spinal anesthesia

Hypernyms ("spinal" is a kind of...):

regional anaesthesia; regional anesthesia (loss of sensation in a region of the body produced by application of an anesthetic agent to all the nerves supplying that region (as when an epidural anesthetic is administered to the pelvic region during childbirth))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spinal"):

saddle block anaesthesia; saddle block anesthesia (the parts of a patient's body that would touch a saddle if the patient were sitting in one are anesthetized by injecting a local anesthetic into the spinal cord)

• SPINAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to the spine or spinal cord

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

spinal injury

Pertainym:

spine (the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord)

Derivation:

spine (a sharp rigid animal process or appendage; as a porcupine quill or a ridge on a bone or a ray of a fish fin)

spine (the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord)

 Context examples 

A type of slow-growing tumor that forms in the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

(Meningioma, NCI Dictionary)

Any one of three membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

(Meninges, NCI Thesaurus)

Inflammation of the meninges (three thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

(Meningitis, NCI Dictionary)

Inflammation of the coverings of the brain and/or spinal cord, which consist of the PIA MATER; ARACHNOID; and DURA MATER.

(Meningitis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

An anaplastic (malignant) meningioma involving the spinal meninges.

(Anaplastic (Malignant) Intraspinal Meningioma, NCI Thesaurus)

These neurons transmit messages from your brain and spinal cord to your voluntary muscles - the ones you can control, like in your arms and legs.

(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Brain scans and spinal fluid tests are now being evaluated to identify certain at-risk individuals.

(Study Points to Possible Blood Test For Memory Decline, Alzheimer’s, NIH)

The tissue that envelops the brain or spinal cord.

(Membrane of the Brain or Spinal Cord, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign or malignant neoplasm of the brain, spinal cord, or meninges occurring in adults.

(Adult Central Nervous System Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

The study included 2 people with severe injuries to their cervical spines—the spinal cord at the level of the neck.

(Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed people move hands, NIH)