The transverse processes (la. processus transversus) of a vertebra, two in number, project one at either side from the point where the lamina joins the pedicle, between the superior and inferior articular processes. They serve for the attachment of muscles and ligaments.
The transverse processes of the dorsal vertebrae typically articulate with the head and tubercle of the respective rib.
The transverse process of a lumbar vertebra is also called costal or costiform process (processus costiforme or processus costalis in latin) by some anatomists, because it corresponds to a rudimentary rib (costa) which, as opposed to the thorax, is not developed in the lumbar region.
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“The higher processes are all processes of simplification. The novelist must learn to write, and then he must unlearn it; just as the modern painter learns to draw, and then learns when utterly to disregard his accomplishment, when to subordinate it to a higher and truer effect.”
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