Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
neural arch

neural arch

1 7.8
Curved bony part at the back of a spine bone that surrounds the spinal cord
  • noun
  • /ˈnʊrəl ɑrtʃ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arco neural
  • In the anatomy class, we learned that the neural arch protects the spinal cord from external impact.

Examples

  • The surgeon examined the damaged neural arch to assess the injury to the spinal cord.

  • Ribs were insignificant, and the vertebrae had no regional specialization or interlaced neural arches.

    Academic text (2003)

  • During the dissection, we carefully identified the neural arch of each vertebra.

Synonyms

vertebral arch
vsneural arch
  • Specialized
8.3

Curved bony part at the back of a spine bone that protects the spinal cord

has identical meaning but uses an alternative anatomical name

Surface Forms

neural arch singular
neural arches plural

Morphology

neural + arch

The compound is compositionally built from 'neural' (relating to nerves) and 'arch' (a curved structure), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a curved structure associated with the nervous system. However, the precise anatomical referent (the specific part of a vertebra that encloses the spinal cord) is technical domain knowledge and not fully predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Neural arch comes from a simple image: neural means about nerves and the arch is like a curved bridge of bone over the spinal cord. So the term means the curved part of a vertebra that 'surrounds' and 'protects' the spinal cord.