Vertebrae vs. Vertebra

; the bones that make up the spinal column.

Any of the small bones which make up the backbone.

One of the serial segments of the spinal column.

One of the central ossicles in each joint of the arms of an ophiuran.

one of the bony segments of the spinal column

each of the series of small bones forming the backbone, having several projections for articulation and muscle attachment, and a hole through which the spinal cord passes

Example: ‘she crushed a vertebra in a fall at Chepstow’; ‘the needle is inserted between two of the vertebrae’;

In the vertebrate spinal column, each vertebra is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, the proportions of which vary according to the segment of the backbone and the species of vertebrate. The basic configuration of a vertebra varies; the large part is the body, and the central part is the centrum.