BACKBONES

A central cohesive source of support and stability

Example: "Faith is his anchor"

• anchor  11
• keystone  15
• linchpin  15
• lynchpin  18
• mainstay  13

Fortitude and determination

Example: "He didn't have the guts to try it"

• grit  5
• gumption  13
• guts  5
• moxie  14
• sand  5

The series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord

Example: "The fall broke his back"

• back  12
• rachis  11
• spinal column
• spine  7
• vertebral column

• skeletal structure

• notochord  15
• chine  10

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

Example: "The title and author were printed on the spine of the book"

• spine  7

The part of a network that connects other networks together

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