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Origin and history of vertebra

vertebra(n.)

in anatomy and zoology, "bone of the spine, segment of the backbone," early 15c., from Latin vertebra "joint or articulation of the body, joint of the spine" (plural vertebræ), perhaps from vertere "to turn" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend") + instrumental suffix -bra.

The notion would be the spine as the "hinge" of the body. The vertebrae for "the backbone" is attested from 1620s. Vertebrum was used from late 14c. in English as "round head of the thigh bone."

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to vertebra

invertebrate(adj.)

"having naturally no backbone," 1819, from Latin in- "not" (see in- (1)) + vertebratus (Pliny), from vertebra "joint or articulation of the body, joint of the spine" (see vertebra). As a noun, "an invertebrate animal," 1826.

varvel(n.)

"metal ring attached to the end of a hawk's jess and connecting it to the leash," often of silver and engraved with the owner's name, 1530s, earlier verbel (mid-15c.), from Old French vervelle "falcon's leg fetter" (14c.), from Vulgar Latin derivation of Latin vertibulum "joint," an extended form of Latin vertebra (see vertebra). Related: Varvels; varveled.

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astragalus
All senses are from Greek astragalos "neck vertebra; ankle bone; knuckle-bones (used as dice)," which generally is considered...
cube
from Greek kybos "a six-sided die," used metaphorically of dice-like blocks of any sort, also "cake; piece of salted fish; vertebra...
bone
Middle English bon, from Old English ban "bone, tusk, hard animal tissue forming the substance of the skeleton; one of the parts which make up the skeleton," from Proto-Germanic *bainan (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon ben, Old Norse bein, Danish ben, German Bein). Absen
snipe
a name of various small, long-billed marsh birds, early 14c., from Old Norse -snipa in myrisnipa "moor snipe;" perhaps a common Germanic term (compare Old Saxon sneppa, Middle Dutch snippe, Dutch snip, Old High German snepfa, German Schnepfe "snipe," Swedish snäppa "sandpiper"),
spine
c. 1400, "backbone, spinal column," from Old French espine "thorn, prickle; backbone, spine" (12c., Modern French épine), from Latin spina "backbone," originally "thorn, prickle" (figuratively, in plural, "difficulties, perplexities"), from PIE *spein-, for which de Vaan compares
back
Old English bæc "back," from Proto-Germanic *bakam (cognates: Old Saxon and Middle Dutch bak, Old Frisian bek), with no known connections outside Germanic. In other modern Germanic languages the cognates mostly have been ousted in this sense by words akin to Modern English ridge
so
Middle English so, from Old English swa, swæ (adv., conj., pron.) "in this way, in such a manner that," also "to that extent; so as, consequently, therefore," and purely intensive; from Proto-Germanic *swa (source also of Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Old High German so, Old Norse sva
aberration
1590s, "a wandering, act of straying," from Latin aberrationem (nominative aberratio) "a wandering," noun of action from past-participle stem of aberrare "to wander out of the way, lose the way, go astray," literally and figuratively, from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + errare "
invention
early 15c., invencioun, "finding or discovering of something," from Old French invencion (13c.) and directly from Latin inventionem (nominative inventio) "faculty of invention," noun of action from past-participle stem of invenire "to come upon, find; find out; invent, discover,
toast
"to brown with heat," late 14c., from Old French toster "to toast, to grill, roast, burn" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *tostare (source of Italian tostare, Spanish tostar), frequentative of Latin torrere (past participle tostus) "to parch," from PIE root *ters- "to dry." Related: To

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