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.
What Is a Spinal Tap? One test for epilepsy is a spinal tap (also called a lumbar puncture). This is a procedure in which fluid surrounding the spinal cord (called the cerebrospinal fluid or CSF) is withdrawn through a needle and examined in a lab. Why Is a Spinal Tap Performed? A spinal tap may be performed to rule out infections such as meningitis or encephalitis as the cause of epileptic seizures. Besides being used for epilepsy, testing the CSF can help in the diagnosis of disorders of the chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, central nervous system that may involve the brain, spinal cord, or their coverings (the meninges).