A thorne: a backe bone: the sting of a bee: a prickle on an hedgehogge or such like. Spinæ aculeatæ. Plin. Minantes spinæ. Colum. Sylue stres. Colum. Spinam facere dicitur Asparagus. Columell. To growe to prickles: to begin to haue prickles. Acutis spinis surgit paliurus. Virg. Spinæ. Plin. Prickles: bristles. Animantes aliæ villis vestitæ, aliæ spinis hirsutæ. Cic. Spina. Plin. The backe bone. Crates spinæ, Ouid. Lentæ spinæ curuamen. Ouid. The bending of the batke bone. Putrefacta spina. Ouid. Spinæ piscium. The chines of sishes. Spinæ, per translationem, pro Difficultatibus. Ci. Ouiddities, subtilties. Nec disserendi spinas probauit. Cic. Spinas partiendi & definiendi prætermittunt. Cic. Spina Ægyptiaca. That whiche Apothecaries call Bedeguar. Spina alba. Our Ladies thistle. Spina acuta. The barbarie tree.

I. Lit.: cum lubrica serpens Exuit in spinis vestem, Lucr. 4, 61; cf. Prop. 4 (5), 5, 1; Verg. E. 5, 39; Col. 3, 11, 5; Plin. 21, 15, 54, 91 al.: consertum tegumen spinis, Verg. A. 3, 594; cf. Ov. M. 14, 166; id. P. 2, 2, 36; Tac. G. 17. —Of particular kinds of thorny plants or shrubs: solstitialis, Col. 2, 18, 1: alba, whitethorn, hawthorn, id. 7, 7, 2; 7, 9, 6; 3, 11, 5; Plin. 21, 11, 39, 68; 24, 12, 66, 108: Aegyptia, the Egyptian blackthorn or sloe, id. 13, 11, 20, 66; 24, 12, 65, 107: Arabica, Arabian acacia, id. 24, 12, 65, 107.—

B. Transf., of things of a like shape.

1. A prickle or spine of certain animals (as the hedgehog, sea-urchin, etc.): animantium aliae coriis tectae sunt, aliae villis vestitae, aliae spinis hirsutae, Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 121: hystrices spinā contectae (with aculei), Plin. 8, 35, 53, 125; 9, 59, 85, 182: spinā nocuus, Ov. Hal. 130.—

2. A fish-bone: humus spinis cooperta piscium, Quint. 8, 3, 66; Ov. M. 8, 244.—

3. The backbone, spine: caput spina excipit: ea constat ex vertebris quattuor et viginti, etc., Cels. 8, 1; 8, 9, 2; 8, 14; Plin. 11, 37, 68, 179; Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 5; Col. 6, 29, 2; Verg. G. 3, 87; Ov. M. 8, 806: dorsi spina, Aug. Civ. Dei, 19, 4, n. 2: spina quae est in dorso, Gell. 3, 10, 7.— Hence, poet., the back, Ov. M. 6, 380; 3, 66; 3, 672.—

4. Spina, a low wall dividing the circus lengthwise, around which was the race-course; the barrier, Cassiod. Var. 3, 51; Schol. Juv. 6, 588.—

5. A toothpick: argentea, Petr. 32 fin.—

II. Trop., in plur.

1. Thorns, i. e. difficulties, subtleties, perplexities in speaking and debating (class.): disserendi spinae, Cic. Fin. 4, 28, 79; cf.: partiendi et definiendi, subtleties, intricacies, id. Tusc. 4, 5, 9; cf.: hominum more non spinas vellentium, ut Stoici, id. Fin. 4, 3, 6.—

2. Cares: certemus, spinas animone ego fortius an tu Evellas agro, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 4.—

3. Errors: quid te exemta juvat spinis de pluribus una, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 212.