backbone

Plural: backbones

Noun

• The series of vertebrae in the back; strength of character.
• a central cohesive source of support and stability
• fortitude and determination
• the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
• the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved
• the part of a network that connects other networks together
  • "the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic"
• The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.
• Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.
• Courage, fortitude, or strength.

Examples

• Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
• He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.
• The letter S is the backbone of any good Scrabble player’s strategy.

Synonyms

anchor, back, grit, gumption, guts, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin, mainstay, moxie, rachis, sand, spinal column, spine, vertebral column, backbone