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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) (WordNet)

backbone
n 1: a central cohesive source of support and stability; "faith
is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the
ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm" [synonym:
{anchor}, {mainstay}, {keystone}, {backbone}, {linchpin},
{lynchpin}]
2: fortitude and determination; "he didn't have the guts to try
it" [synonym: {backbone}, {grit}, {guts}, {moxie}, {sand},
{gumption}]
3: the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and
protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back" [synonym:
{spinal column}, {vertebral column}, {spine}, {backbone},
{back}, {rachis}]
4: 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; "the title and author were printed on the spine of
the book" [synonym: {spine}, {backbone}]
5: the part of a network that connects other networks together;
"the backbone is the part of a communication network that
carries the heaviest traffic"