The vertebral column, also known as the spinal column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrate animals. The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate endoskeleton, where the notochord found in all chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of mineralized irregular bones called vertebrae, separated by fibrocartilaginous intervertebral discs. The dorsal portion of the vertebral column houses the spinal canal, an elongated cavity formed by alignment of the vertebral neural arches that encloses and protects the spinal cord, with spinal nerves exiting via the intervertebral foramina to innervate each body segments.

मानव शरीर रचना में 'रीढ़ की हड्डी' या मेरुदंड ) पीठ की हड्डियों का समूह है जो मस्तिष्क के पिछले भाग से निकलकर गुदा के पास तक जाती है। इसमें ३३ खण्ड (vertebrae) होते हैं। मेरुदण्ड के भीतर ही मेरूनाल में मेरूरज्जु सुरक्षित रहता है।