rachis
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Related to rachis: petiolule
ra·chis
(rā′kĭs)n. pl. ra·chis·es or rach·i·des (răk′ĭ-dēz′, rā′kĭ-)
1.
a. The main stem of an elongated inflorescence, as in a grass.
b. The main axis of a pinnately compound leaf or of a fern frond.
2. The main shaft of a bird's feather, especially the part to which the barbs are attached.
3. The spinal column.
[New Latin, from Greek rhakhis, spine, ridge.]
ra′chi·al adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
rachis
(ˈreɪkɪs) orrhachis
n, pl rachises, rhachises, rachides or rhachides (ˈrækɪˌdiːz; ˈreɪ-)
1. (Botany) botany the main axis or stem of an inflorescence or compound leaf
2. (Zoology) ornithol the shaft of a feather, esp the part that carries the barbs
3. (Anatomy) another name for spinal column
[C17: via New Latin from Greek rhakhis ridge]
rachial, rhachial rachidial, rhachidial adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ra•chis
(ˈreɪ kɪs)n., pl. ra•chis•es, rach•i•des (ˈræk ɪˌdiz, ˈreɪ kɪ-)
1. any of various axial structures of a plant, as the stem of a leaflet.
2. the part of the shaft of a feather bearing the web.
[1775–85; < New Latin < Greek rháchis spine]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  rachis - axis of a compound leaf or compound inflorescenceaxis - the main stem or central part about which plant organs or plant parts such as branches are arranged |
| 2. |  rachis - the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back"notochord - a flexible rodlike structure that forms the supporting axis of the body in the lowest chordates and lowest vertebrates and in embryos of higher vertebrates chine - backbone of an animal canalis vertebralis, spinal canal, vertebral canal - the canal in successive vertebrae through which the spinal cord passes vertebra - one of the bony segments of the spinal column intervertebral disc, intervertebral disk - a fibrocartilaginous disc serving as a cushion between all of the vertebrae of the spinal column (except between the first two) skeletal structure - any structure created by the skeleton of an organism axial skeleton - the part of the skeleton that includes the skull and spinal column and sternum and ribs |
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Translations
ra·chis
n. raquis, la columna vertebral.
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