- 1
The spine — the long row of connected bones down the middle of a person's or animal's back. It's also used a lot in a non-literal way: the 'backbone' of something is the main, most important part that everything else depends on and is built around, like 'small businesses are the backbone of the local economy.' And if someone says you need to 'show some backbone,' they mean you need courage and strength of character, not just a strong spine.
脊椎;(比喻)骨幹、支柱;骨氣、膽量
組成back + bone — a straightforward compound.
原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
backbonenoun/ˈbækˌbəʊn/
- 1
The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.
- 2
Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.
- Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
- Undoubtedly it can be said that the humble 0-6-0 has been the backbone for general service, or general utility on British railways right from their earliest days, and is likely to remain so.
- 3
Courage, fortitude, or strength.
- He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.
- His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance. That's backbone. His starched collars and got-up shirt-fronts were achievements of character. He had been out nearly three years; and, later, I could not help asking him how he managed to sport such linen.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。