spinal
Intermediate (B1)
IPA: /ˈspaɪnəl/
KK: /ˈspaɪnəl/
adjective
Definition
Related to the spine or the spinal cord, which is the part of the body that connects the brain to the rest of the body.
Example
The doctor explained the risks of a spinal injury during the sports activity.
Conversation
I heard you had a spinal injury from your last game.
Yeah, it was pretty rough, but I'm recovering now.
That's good to hear! Did the doctor say how long the spinal rehab will take?
He mentioned a few weeks, but I'll be back on the field soon.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
vertebral
columnar
backbone
Antonyms
nonspinal
peripheral
external
noun
Definition
A type of anesthetic that is injected into the spinal cord to cause numbness or loss of feeling in a specific area of the body.
Example
The doctor used a spinal anesthetic to perform the surgery without pain.
Conversation
I heard you had a spinal procedure last week, how did it go?
It went well, thankfully! The doctors were really great.
That’s good to hear! Did they give you a spinal anesthetic?
Root Explanation
Spinal → It is formed from "spina" (meaning thorn or spine in Latin) and the suffix "-al" (meaning pertaining to). The word "spinal" refers to something that pertains to the spine or backbone.
Memory Tip
Think of the Latin word for spine, 'spina', to remember that 'spinal' relates to the backbone.
Visually Confused Words
espinal
sinal
pinal
springal
sphingal
spital
spiral
spical