vertèbre

vertebra

noun vair-TEBR Rare

Origin: Latin vertebra, from vertere 'to turn'

Usage Note

Vertèbre refers to one of the bones of the spinal column. The spine is divided into cervical (cervicales), thoracic (dorsales), and lumbar (lombaires) vertebrae. A slipped disc in French is une hernie discale, and se déplacer une vertèbre ('to put a vertebra out of place') is a common informal expression for back pain.

Examples

"Il s'est fracturé une vertèbre dans l'accident."

Natural Translation

He fractured a vertebra in the accident.

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