a central cohesive source of support and stability; faith is his anchor; the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money; he is the linchpin of this firm
fortitude and determination; he didnt have the guts to try it
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; the fall broke his back
[ Syn: spinal column , vertebral column , spine , back , rachis ]
the part of a books cover that encloses the inner side of the books pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved; the title and author were printed on the spine of the book
[ Syn: spine ]
the part of a network that connects other networks together; the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic'