spinal cord

/ˈspaɪnl ˌkɔrd/

/ˈspaɪnəl kɔd/

Other forms: spinal cords

Your spinal cord is the tube of nerves that runs up and down your back and connects to your brain. Messages are sent from your body to your brain (and back) through your spinal cord.

The bones of your spine protect the bundle of cells and tissue that make up your spinal cord. Without a functioning spinal cord, your brain can't tell your muscles how to move — and your brain can't understand sensations like pain, hot, or cold either. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord, both vitally important for sensing and moving through the world.

Definitions of spinal cord

1. noun

   a major part of the central nervous system which conducts sensory and motor nerve impulses to and from the brain; a long tubelike structure extending from the base of the brain through the vertebral canal to the upper lumbar region
   synonyms: medulla spinalis

   type of:

   funiculus

   any of several body structure resembling a cord

   neural structure

   a structure that is part of the nervous system