What does "skeleton" mean?

1. (bones of a body) the frame of bones inside a human or animal body that supports it. 2. (structural frame) the basic frame or structure of a building or plan. 3. (winter sport) a winter sport where a person slides down ice on a small sled, lying face down. 4. (minimum staff or plan) the smallest number of people or things needed to keep something working. 5. (a shameful secret) a secret from the past that would be embarrassing if people found out. 6. (to reduce to bones) to take everything away until only the frame or bones are left.

skeleton — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01bones of a body

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Medicine

n. the frame of bones inside a human or animal body that supports it.

n. the internal framework of bones and cartilage that provides structural support and protection for the organs of a vertebrate.

“The biology students studied a plastic skeleton to learn the names of the bones.”

“The archaeological dig uncovered a nearly complete skeleton, allowing researchers to determine the individual's height and approximate age at death.”

Synonyms

bones framework

02structural frame

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the basic frame or structure of a building or plan.

n. the essential supporting structure or central core of a construction or organization.

“The steel skeleton of the new skyscraper was visible from miles away.”

“The author spent months developing the skeleton of the plot before writing a single chapter of the actual novel.”

Synonyms

framework structure shell

03winter sport

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Sports

n. a winter sport where a person slides down ice on a small sled, lying face down.

n. a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying prone and head-first.

“Watching the skeleton in the Winter Olympics looks very dangerous because of the high speeds.”

“The athlete maintained a perfectly aerodynamic position throughout the skeleton run, eventually breaking the track record by several hundredths of a second.”

Synonyms

tobogganing

04minimum staff or plan

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal

n. the smallest number of people or things needed to keep something working.

n. the minimum number of personnel or essential elements required to maintain basic operations.

“The office only has a skeleton staff working during the Christmas holidays.”

“Due to the budget cuts, the department was forced to operate with a skeleton crew for the remainder of the fiscal year.”

Usage

Often used as a modifier before another noun, as in 'skeleton staff'.

Synonyms

minimum core

05a shameful secret

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal

n. a secret from the past that would be embarrassing if people found out.

n. a clipping of the idiom 'skeleton in the closet', referring to a hidden, discreditable fact about someone.

“Every family has a skeleton or two that they prefer not to talk about.”

“The journalist spent weeks digging into the candidate's past, hoping to find a skeleton that would derail the campaign.”

Synonyms

secret shame

06to reduce to bones

C2 · Proficiency Archaic

v. to take everything away until only the frame or bones are left.

v. to reduce an object or body to its essential framework or bony structure.

“The desert sun and wind had skeletonized the remains of the old wagon.”

“The harsh conditions of the shipwreck had served to skeletonize the vessel, leaving only the heavy timber ribs protruding from the sand.”

Synonyms

skeletonizestrip

From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν (skeletón), the neuter of σκελετός (skeletós, “dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy”), from σκέλλω (skéllō, “dry, dry up, make dry, parch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, wither”); compare Ancient Greek σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”).

The etymology of the term is disputed between two versions. * From the sled used, which originally was a bare frame, like a skeleton. * From Norwegian kjaelke (a type of ice sled) through a bad anglicization as "skele".

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

exoskeleton(C1)

skeleton(A2)

ADJECTIVE

skeletal(B2)