verb (used with object), mortified, mortifying. 1. to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect. 2. to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering. 3. Pathology. to affect with gangrene or necrosis. verb (used without object), mortified, mortifying.
spinal tap noun. plural spinal taps. spinal tap. noun. plural spinal taps. Learner's definition of SPINAL TAP. [count] medical. : a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the spinal cord in order to take out fluid or inject medicine.
Updated April 16, 2017. A lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, is a common neurological procedure that removes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the spinal canal so a doctor can study the fluid more thoroughly. While neurologists perform this test frequently, the idea of a lumbar puncture makes most people nervous.