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# vertebra

noun (a vertebra; plural vertebrae)

«vertebra» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A vertebra is one of the small bones that are linked together to make the backbone (spine). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#m1)
2. The vertebrae protect the spinal cord, the bundle of nerves that carries messages between the brain and the body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on the skeleton, the spine is made of vertebrae; animals with backbones are vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and animals without are invertebrates (insects, worms, jellyfish). Humans usually have 33 vertebrae (some join together). Phrases: «a broken vertebra», «neck vertebrae», «vertebrates and invertebrates».

### Examples

- The spine is made of many small bones, each called a vertebra. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x1)
- A giraffe has seven vertebrae in its neck — the same number as a human. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x2)
- The doctor said he had cracked a vertebra in the fall. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x3)
- Snakes have hundreds of vertebrae. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x4)
- Fish are vertebrates because they have a backbone of vertebrae. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x5)
- We felt the bumps of our vertebrae down our backs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/#x6)

### Note

Irregular plural: vertebrae (say «VUR-te-bray» or «VUR-te-bree»), not «vertebras». Fact for maths and quizzes: a human has 7 neck vertebrae, as does a giraffe — a giraffe's are just much longer. Safety: a person who may have hurt their back or neck should not be moved until help comes.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «vertebra» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebra/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«vertebra» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/vertebra.html) on Mova free.