/verr"teuh breuh/ , n. , pl. vertebrae /-bree', -bray'/ , vertebras . Anat., Zool.
any of the bones or segments composing the spinal column, consisting typically of a cylindrical body and an arch with various processes, and forming a foramen, or opening, through which the spinal cord passes.
[ 1570-80; verte ( re ) to turn (see VERSE) + -bra n. suffix ]