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rachis

or rha·chis

[ rey-kis ]
/ Ë?reɪ kɪs /
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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.
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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

How to use rachis in a sentence

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.
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