neural arch
noun
anatomy
: an arch of bone or cartilage of a vertebra that is situated posterior to a vertebral body, is formed by the fusion of two pedicles and two laminae, and along with the back portion of the vertebral body forms a vertebral foramen through which the spinal cord passes
The neural arch puts limits on the range of a spine's movement with pairs of interlocking tabs known as zygapophyses.—
Carl Zimmer
Carl Zimmercalled also vertebral arch
Examples of neural arch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The top parts of its vertebrae—known as neural arches—were still separated from the lower sections rather than fused, which suggests the dinosaur was probably a teenager.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
Two pretty small somethings—a neural arch from a Brachychampsa spine and a tooth fragment with a so-far-unknown origin.
—Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 25 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
Two pretty small somethings—a neural arch from a Brachychampsa spine and a tooth fragment with a so-far-unknown origin.
—Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 25 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Neural arch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neural%20arch. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
neural arch
noun
: an arch of bone or cartilage of a vertebra that is situated posterior to a vertebral body, is formed by the fusion of two pedicles and two laminae, and along with the back portion of the vertebral body forms a vertebral foramen through which the spinal cord passes
The neural arch puts limits on the range of a spine's movement with pairs of interlocking tabs known as zygapophyses.—Carl Zimmer
Carl Zimmercalled also vertebral arch
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share