Rückgrat
German, noun/ˈʁʏkˌɡʁaːt/
Rückgrat is spelled R-Ü-C-K-G-R-A-T (8 letters) and appears 3.5 times per million words in written German, the 15,856th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Rückgrat is a German neuter noun meaning “backbone, spine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “die Wirbelsäule”.
What does Rückgrat mean in English?
noun
- 1
neuterbackbone, spine
- 2
neuterbackbone, cornerstone (the fundamental or main contributor to a system or organization)
Der Tourismus ist das Rückgrat unserer Wirtschaft.
- 3
neuterspine, assertiveness (the willingness to stand up for oneself in the face of adversity)
Jetzt müsste er mal Rückgrat beweisen, statt alles immer nur hinzunehmen.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. die Wirbelsäule 2. Stütze, Halt 3. Charakterstärke, Mut gegenüber Oberen 4. Molekülkette eines Makromoleküls
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of Rückgrat
- Rückgrates genitive
- Rückgrats genitive
- Rückgrate plural
- Rückgraten dative definite plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce Rückgrat?
- /ˈʁʏkˌɡʁaːt/
- [ˈʁʏkʁaːtʰ]
- [ˈʁʏkˌɡʁaːt]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to Rückgrat
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is Rückgrat in German?
Rückgrat appears 3.5 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).