From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspinal cordˈspinal cord noun [countable] HBthe thick string of nerves enclosed in your spine, by which messages are sent to and from your brain
Examples from the Corpus
spinal cord• Indeed, all of the brain and spinal cord.• They receive messages from virtually every nerve in the human body via connections with the optic nerve and spinal cord.• It broke my ribs, collapsed a lung and broke my spinal cord.• In the same way, nerve cells in the spinal cord show activity whenever a particular movement is made by the arm.• The ball had entered his body in front and passed out near the spinal cord, paralyzing him in legs and arms.• Invasion of the spinal cord causes paralysis of the arms and legs or of the trunk.• Striking the side or back of the neck can damage the spine or the spinal cord itself, sometimes permanently.• For example, it is absent in such diverse conditions as constipation, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and thoracic spinal cord injuries. 