The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nerves that is an extension of the central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column (aka. the back bones). The main function of the spinal cord is transmission of neural inputs between the periphery (legs, arms, torso, etc) and the brain. In summary, the term spinal cord is correct medical/anatomical language. There is no better way of naming this structure of the body.