Dictionary Definition
backbone
Noun
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" [syn:
anchor, mainstay, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin]
2 fortitude and determination; "he didn't have
the guts to try it" [syn: grit, guts, moxie, sand, gumption]
3 the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the
skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back"
[syn: spinal
column, vertebral
column, spine,
back, rachis]
4 the part of a network that connects other
networks together; "the backbone is the part of a communication
network that carries the heaviest traffic"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /ˈbækˌbəʊn/, /"b
Extensive Definition
Backbone may
mean:
- Vertebral column, of a vertebrate organism
- Backbone chain, in polymer chemistry, the framework of the molecule
- Backbone Entertainment, a video game development company
- Backbone network, the top level of a hierarchical network
- Internet backbone
- European backbone
backbone in German:
Backbone
backbone in Korean:
백본
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
advocate, alpenstock, arm, athletic supporter, back, backing, bandeau, bearer, bottom, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, buttress, cane, carrier, cervix, chutzpah, corset, courage, crook, crutch, determination, firmness, fortitude, foundation garment,
fulcrum, gameness, girdle, grit, guts, gutsiness, guttiness, guy, guywire, hardihood, heart, heart of oak, intestinal
fortitude, jock, jockstrap, mainstay, maintainer, mast, mettle, mettlesomeness, moxie, neck, nerve, pillar, pith, pluck, pluckiness, prop, purposefulness, rachis, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, rest, resting place, rigging, sand, shoulder, shroud, spinal column, spine, spirit, sprit, spunk, spunkiness, stability, staff, stamina, standing rigging,
stave, stay, staying power, stick, stiffener, stout heart,
strength, strengthener, sturdiness, support, supporter, sustainer, toughness, true grit, upholder, vertebrae, vertebral column,
walking stick, will