one of the structures composing the skeleton of a vertebrate.
the hard connective tissue forming the substance of the skeleton of most vertebrates, composed of a collagen-rich organic matrix impregnated with calcium, phosphate, and other minerals.
such a structure from an edible animal, usually with meat adhering to it, as an article of food: Pea soup should be made with a ham bone.
any of various similarly hard or structural animal substances, as ivory or whalebone.
something made of or resembling such a substance.
a small concession, intended to pacify or quiet; a conciliatory bribe or gift: The administration threw the student protesters a couple of bones, but refused to make any basic changes in the curriculum or requirements.
bones,
the skeleton.
a body: Let his bones rest in peace.
GamesSlang.dice.
(initial capital letter)Mr. Bones.
a simple rhythm instrument consisting of two sometimes curved bars or short strips of bone, ivory, wood, or the like, held between the fingers of one hand and clacked together.
the color of bone; ivory or off-white.
a flat strip of whalebone or other material for stiffening corsets, petticoats, etc.; stay.
GamesSlang. a domino.
verb (used with object),boned,bon·ing.
to remove the bones from: to bone a turkey.
to put whalebone or another stiffener into (clothing).
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with: He was boning his best friend's wife!
Agriculture. to put bone meal into (feed, fertilizer, etc.).
adverb
completely; absolutely: bone tired.
Idioms for bone
bone up, Informal. to study intensely; cram: We're going to have to bone up for the exam.
feel in one's bones, to think or feel intuitively: She felt in her bones that it was going to be a momentous day.
have a bone to pick with someone, to have cause to disagree or argue with someone: The teacher had a bone to pick with him because his homework paper was identical with his neighbor's.
make no bones about,
to deal with in a direct manner; act or speak openly: He makes no bones about his dislike of modern music.
to have no fear of or objection to.
to the bone,
to the essentials; to the minimum: The government cut social service programs to the bone.
to an extreme degree; thoroughly: chilled to the bone.
Origin of bone
First recorded before 900; Middle English bo(o)n, Old English bān; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon bēn, Dutch been “bone,” Old Norse bein “bone, leg,” German Bein “leg”; from Germanic bainam
Words nearby bone
bondstone, bondswoman, bonduc, bond washing, bondwoman, bone, bone ash, bone bed, boneblack, bone block, bone canaliculus
The $1,500 Embody Gaming Chair has the bones of an office chair.
Should your next home-office chair be an esports gaming chair?|Anne Quito|July 27, 2020|Quartz
After too long in microgravity, our muscles and bones become weak.
Scientists Say: Microgravity|Bethany Brookshire|July 27, 2020|Science News For Students
The man’s bones had previously been found in the Newgrange passage tomb, an earthen mound covering more than 4,000 square meters near the River Boyne.
DNA from a 5,200-year-old Irish tomb hints at ancient royal incest|Bruce Bower|June 17, 2020|Science News
Archaeologist Ryan Rabett of Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland calls the new study of Sri Lankan bone points “suggestive but not definitive” evidence of bow-and-arrow hunting.
Clues to the earliest known bow-and-arrow hunting outside Africa have been found|Bruce Bower|June 12, 2020|Science News
The tooth and six bone fragments are more than 40,000 years old.
This cave hosted the oldest known human remains in Europe|Bruce Bower|June 12, 2020|Science News For Students
Not long after I was finally diagnosed, my doctor ordered a bone density scan.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, and soon your body will work the piece of bone out of the intestine.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I always thought there was a bone density test or something to be able to get in.
Jon Stewart Talks ‘Rosewater’ and the ‘Chickensh-t’ Democrats’ Midterm Massacre|Marlow Stern|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bone was a highly competent managing editor, and contrived somehow to squeeze us into the tumultuous Post office.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
[1] Bone was an Indianan, and had a long and honorable career in journalism, stretching from 1881 to 1918.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cancer of the cheek in the parent becomes cancer of the bone in the child.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
The sound of Blink gnawing her bone beneath the bed alone broke the silence.
The Burning Spear|John Galsworthy
This bone is used for many purposes; among others, it is used in a powdered state as a dentifrice.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier
Heifer meat is smaller in the bone and lighter in color than ox beef.
The Story of Crisco|Marion Harris Neil
Makatalungun ka sa bukug nga may lungag sa tungà, You can make a pipe stem out of a bone that has a hole in its center.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff
British Dictionary definitions for bone (1 of 2)
bone
/ (bəʊn) /
noun
any of the various structures that make up the skeleton in most vertebrates
the porous rigid tissue of which these parts are made, consisting of a matrix of collagen and inorganic salts, esp calcium phosphate, interspersed with canals and small holesRelated adjectives: osseous, osteal
something consisting of bone or a bonelike substance
(plural)the human skeleton or bodythey laid his bones to rest; come and rest your bones
a thin strip of whalebone, light metal, plastic, etc, used to stiffen corsets and brassieres
(plural)the essentials (esp in the phrase the bare bones)to explain the bones of a situation
(plural)dice
(plural) an informal nickname for a doctor
close to the boneornear the bone
risqué or indecenthis jokes are rather close to the bone
in poverty; destitute
feel in one's bonesto have an intuition of
have a bone to pickto have grounds for a quarrel
make no bones about
to be direct and candid about
to have no scruples about
point the bone(often foll by at)Australian
to wish bad luck (on)
to threaten to bring about the downfall (of)
verb(mainly tr)
to remove the bones from (meat for cooking, etc)
to stiffen (a corset, etc) by inserting bones
to fertilize with bone meal
taboo, slangto have sexual intercourse with
British a slang word for steal
See also bone up
Derived forms of bone
boneless, adjective
Word Origin for bone
Old English bān; related to Old Norse béin, Old Frisian bēn, Old High German bein
The dense, semirigid, porous, calcified connective tissue forming the major portion of the skeleton of most vertebrates, consisting of a dense organic matrix and an inorganic, mineral component.
Any of the more than 200 anatomically distinct structures making up the human skeleton.
The hard, dense, calcified tissue that forms the skeleton of most vertebrates, consisting of a matrix made up of collagen fibers and mineral salts. There are two main types of bone structure: compact, which is solid and hard, and cancellous, which is spongy in appearance. Bone serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles and protects vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. See more at osteoblastosteocyte.
Any of the structures made of bone that constitute a skeleton, such as the femur. The human skeleton consists of 206 bones.