Step 1: Decode the phrase: a vertebra sliding forward over its neighbour is a translational deformity, not a curvature or a wear-and-tear change.
Step 2: The exact term for this forward (anterior) slippage of one vertebra on another is spondylolisthesis, classically linked to a break or defect in the pars interarticularis.
Step 3: Spondylosis is a distractor that sounds similar but means degenerative arthritic change of the spinal column with osteophytes, with no slippage implied.
Step 4: Kyphosis and scoliosis are abnormal spinal curvatures, one in the sagittal plane (rounded back) and the other in the coronal plane (sideways), so neither fits a forward vertebral slip. The correct match is spondylolisthesis.
\[\boxed{\text{Spondylolisthesis}}\]