The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20210417053823/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/rachis
Dictionary.com

rachis

or rha·chis

[ rey-kis ]
/ Ë?reɪ kɪs /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for rachis on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ra·chis·es, rach·i·des [rak-i-deez, rey-ki-]. /Ë?ræk ɪˌdiz, Ë?reɪ kɪ-/.

Botany.
  1. the axis of an inflorescence when somewhat elongated, as in a raceme.
  2. (in a pinnately compound leaf or frond) the prolongation of the petiole along which the leaflets are disposed.
  3. any of various axial structures.
Ornithology. the part of the shaft of a feather bearing the web.
Anatomy. spinal column.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rachis

1775–85; <New Latin <Greek rháchis spine, ridge, backbone

OTHER WORDS FROM rachis

ra·chid·i·an [ruh-kid-ee-uhn], /rÉ™Ë?kɪd i É™n/, ra·chi·al [rey-kee-uhl], /Ë?reɪ ki É™l/, ra·chid·i·al, adjective

Words nearby rachis

rachilysis, rachio-, rachiocentesis, rachiometer, rachiotomy, rachis, rachischisis, rachitic pelvis, rachitic rosary, rachitis, rachitogenic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to rachis

vertebrae, bone, ridge, back, chine, shaft, pin, rod, stem, stalk, axle, axis, mandrel, baluster, spinal column, vertebral column, backbone, spine, myel, rhachis

Example sentences from the Web for rachis

British Dictionary definitions for rachis

rachis

rhachis

/ (Ë?reɪkɪs) /

noun plural rachises, rhachises, rachides or rhachides (Ë?rækɪˌdiË?z, Ë?reɪ-)

botany the main axis or stem of an inflorescence or compound leaf
ornithol the shaft of a feather, esp the part that carries the barbs
another name for spinal column

Derived forms of rachis

rachial or rhachial (Ë?reɪkɪəl) or rachidial or rhachidial (rÉ™Ë?kɪdɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for rachis

C17: via New Latin from Greek rhakhis ridge
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for rachis

rachis
[ rÄ?′kÄ­s ]

n. pl. ra•chis•es

spinal column
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for rachis

rachis
[ rÄ?′kÄ­s ]

Plural rachises rachides (rÄ?k′ĭ-dÄ“z′, rÄ?′kÄ­-)

A main axis or shaft, such as the main stem of an inflorescence, the stalk of a pinnately compound leaf, the shaft of a feather, or the spinal column.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See Today's Synonym