Etymologically
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spinalis

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [spiːˈnaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [spiˈnaː.lis][1]

Forms

spīnālis (neuter spīnāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin spīna (“thorn, spine”) + -ālis.[1][2][3] The English word spinal comes from it.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first author that has it is Macrobius,[3] who speaks of the medulla spīnālis, the marrow of the spine.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is a Late Latin word,[2][1] used of the spine or backbone.[2][5] Etymonline glosses the Late Latin word as “of or pertaining to a thorn or the spine”.[4]

Timeline

  • first half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius uses it of the spinal marrow.[2][3]
  • 1570s – English borrows it as spinal.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Late Latin) Of the spine, spinal.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn