backbone
bak bohn
- n a central cohesive source of support and stability
- n fortitude and determination
- n the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
- n 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
- n the part of a network that connects other networks together
the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic
- It's also the backbone of ideals like democracy and human rights, as well as the protector of rather more tawdry material like reality TV and Internet porn.
- They form the backbone of the status quo in the governmental and societal structure.
- By then, the Internet will have been extended, by means of an interplanetary Internet backbone, to operate in outer space.