the flexible plate of fibrocartilage that connects any two adjacent vertebrae in the backbone. At birth the central part of the disc - the nucleus pulposus - consists of a gelatinous substance, which becomes replaced by cartilage with age. The intervertebral discs account for one quarter of the total length of the backbone; they act as shock absorbers, protecting the brain and spinal cord from the impact produced by running and other movements. See also prolapsed intervertebral disc.
Medical dictionary. 2011.