The doctor found that two of his vertebrae were injured during the examination.

vertebrae 是 vertebra 的复数形式，来自拉丁语，意思是"脊椎骨"。vertebra 由词根 vertebr-（表示"转动、关节"）和后缀 -a 组成，指构成脊柱的单个骨节。 vertebrae 在这里指"多节脊椎骨"，医学上特指脊柱中可活动的骨节部分。