skeleton

One entry found for skeleton.

Main Entry: ¹skel·e·ton
Pronunciation: 'ske-l&-t&n
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek, neuter of skeletos dried up; akin to Greek skellein to dry up, sklEros hard and perhaps to Old English sceald shallow
1 : a usually rigid supportive or protective structure or framework of an organism ; especially : the bony or more or less cartilaginous framework supporting the soft tissues and protecting the internal organs of a vertebrate
2 : something reduced to its minimum form or essential parts
3 : an emaciated person or animal
4 a : something forming a structural framework b : the straight or branched chain or ring of atoms that forms the basic structure of an organic molecule
5 : something shameful and kept secret (as in a family) -- often used in the phrase skeleton in the closet
- ske·le·ton·ic /"ske-l&-'tä-nik/ adjective
[skeleton illustration]