spinous

adjective

spi·nous | \ ˈspī-nəs

Definition of spinous

1a : spiny sense 2 a spinous plant

b : spiny sense 3

2 : difficult or unpleasant to handle or meet : thorny

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Did You Know?

English writers have been associating spines with things that are difficult to take since at least 1586, when the English dramatist Thomas Kyd used the word spiny to describe his "cares." "Spinous" took on its figurative use in 1638, when the phrase "spinous criticisms" appeared. "Thorny explications" followed shortly after that, in 1653. Emily Dickinson gets the credit for giving the word prickly its "troublesome" sense. In her 1862 poem that begins "The Child's faith is new," she wrote, "To hold mistaken / His pretty estimates / Of Prickly Things."

Examples of spinous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is a possibility of spinous process fracture, a break along the vetebrae that generally heals without long-term damage. — Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, "UPDATED: Davante Adams OK, Danny Trevethan lucky to walk away with just a fine," 29 Sep. 2017

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More Definitions for spinous

spinous

adjective

spi·nous | \ ˈspī-nəs

Medical Definition of spinous

: slender and pointed like a spine

spinous

Definition of spinous

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Examples of spinous in a Sentence

First Known Use of spinous

Medical Definition of spinous

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