transverse process

noun

Either of the two bony processes of a vertebra that project laterally from the neural arch at the junction of a pedicle and lamina and that provide attachment for muscles and ligaments concerned especially with rotation, lateral flexion, and stability of the spinal column.

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Meanings

nountransverse process (plural transverse processes)

plural transverse processes

  1. anatomyEither of the two bony processes of a vertebra that project laterally from the neural arch at the junction of a pedicle and lamina and that provide attachment for muscles and ligaments concerned especially with rotation, lateral flexion, and stability of the spinal column.
Cite this entry
APA

transverse process. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transverse%20process

MLA

“transverse process.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transverse%20process. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “transverse process,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transverse%20process.

Source: transverse process on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.