Where does “cervical spine” come from?

cervical spine (English) comes from English spine, from Middle English spyne, from Old French espine, from Latin spīna, from Proto-Italic speinā, from Proto-Indo-European spēy- — to stretch; thrive; succeed.

cervical spine (English): The five vertebrae below the skull that protect...

Definitions

  1. The five vertebrae below the skull that protect...

Ancestry of “cervical spine”, step by step

cervical spine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English spine

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspineThe series of bones situated at the back from the...
2Middle EnglishspyneA spine
3Old Frenchespinespine; backbone; spine; spike
4Latinspīnaa thorn or a thorny tree or shrub, such as whitethorn, hawthorn, or blackthorn
5Proto-Italicspeināthorn
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspēy-to stretch; thrive; succeed

via English cervical

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcervicalof the neck; of the cervix; A cervical vertebra
2Frenchcervicalcervical
3New Latincervicalisgenitive singular of cervīcal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spēy-