English to English

noun (n)

• a central cohesive source of support and stability(noun.cognition)

  Synonym:
  anchor, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin, mainstay
  

  source: wordnet30
• fortitude and determination(noun.attribute)

  Synonym:
  grit, gumption, guts, moxie, sand
  

  source: wordnet30
• the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord(noun.body)

  Synonym:
  back, rachis, spinal column, spine, vertebral column
  

  source: wordnet30
• the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved(noun.artifact)

  Synonym:
  spine
  

  source: wordnet30
• the part of a network that connects other networks together(noun.artifact)

  Example:
  The backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic.
  

  source: wordnet30
• The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column.(noun)

  source: webster1913