Forms: 3 bacbon, 4 bakbon, bakebon, 5 bakbone, 4–7 backebone, 6– backbone. (In 5–7 often two words; still sometimes hyphened.) [f. BACK sb. 1 + BONE.]
1. The vertebral column, the spine. To the backbone: thoroughly, completely.
a. 1300. W. De Biblesw., in Wright, Voc., 146. Bacbon, l’etchine.
a. 1400. Leg. Rood, 190. Þe cros behind his bakbon Þat he þolud deth uppon.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb. (1534), F iv b. He wyll eate soo moche, that his sydes wyll stande as hygh as his backe bone.
1647. J. Hall, Poems, 89. How many back-bones nourisht have Crawling Serpents in the grave?
1849. W. Irving, Crayon Misc., 165. It struck a buffalo … broke its back-bone.
1864. Dk. Manch., Crt. & Soc. Eliz. to Anne, II. 107. Harry was English to the backbone.
2. transf. A main support or axis, or chief substantial part; e.g., the backbone of a bicycle; the chief mountain-range or water-shed of a country.
1684. T. Burnet, The. Earth, I. 142. The Appennines strike through Italy … the back-bone of that country.
1865. Tylor, Early Hist. Man., vii. 162. The Cordilleras, or backbone of America.
1879. A. Galletly, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 390/2. The ‘back-bone’ of the chenille … is composed of several strong cotton threads.
3. fig. The main or important element; mainstay.
1849. Cobden, Speeches, 64. I speak to the clothiers … the backbone and muscle of the clothing district of England.
1871. Earle, Philol. Eng. Tong., § 313. We are now come to the backbone of our subject.
1884. J. T. Bent, in Macm. Mag., Oct., 429/2. A secret society which was the backbone of Panhellenism.
4. Strength of character, stability of purpose, resoluteness, sturdiness, firmness.
1865. Sat. Rev., 18 Feb., 195. A great man he … could never have been … for his character was destitute of backbone.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 23 Feb., 5. [This] has completely taken the backbone out of the discount market.
