palatine: either of two irregularly shaped bones that form the back of the hard palate and helps to form the nasal cavity and the floor of the orbits
bone: rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
spina bifida: a not uncommon congenital defect in which a vertebra is malformed; unless several vertebrae are affected or there is myelomeningocele there are few symptoms; can be diagnosed by amniocentesis