n.
Pronunciation: ' v ə r-t ə -br ə , - ˌ br ā
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -brae \ - ˌ br ā , -( ˌ )br ē , -br ə \ or -bras
Etymology: Latin, joint, vertebra, from vertere to turn
Date: 1578
: one of the bony or cartilaginous segments composing the spinal column, consisting in some lower vertebrates of several distinct elements which never become united, and in higher vertebrates having a short more or less cylindrical body whose ends articulate by pads of elastic or cartilaginous tissue with those of adjacent vertebrae and a bony arch that encloses the spinal cord