backbone has definitions from the fields of computer science,anatomy,zoology
1
[ noun ] (informal) fortitude and determination

Examples

"he didn't have the guts to try it"

Used in print

(Edwin Booth, Outlaw Town....)

Somebody in this town must still have some backbone '' .

Related terms

fortitude colloquialism

2
[ noun ] a central cohesive source of support and stability

Examples

"faith is his anchor" "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money" "he is the linchpin of this firm"

Used in print

(87th Congress, 1st Session. Congressional Record....)

The New_York_Central notes : `` The freight traffic most susceptible to raiding by the C. +_O._-_B. +_O. provides the backbone of Central 's revenues .

Related terms

support anchor

3
[ noun ] (anatomy,zoology) the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord

Examples

"the fall broke his back"

4
[ noun ] (computer science) the part of a network that connects other networks together

Examples

"the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic"

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