skeleton

noun skeletons · skeleta · sceleton

1. The system that provides support to an organism, where in vertebrates it is internal and consists of bones and cartilage, and external in some other animals. At the foot of a pretty big pine, and involved in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the ground.
2. An anthropomorphic representation of a skeleton. Her whimsical Halloween decorations include dancing skeletons who sing an eerie song.
3. figuratively A very thin person. She lost so much weight while she was ill that she became a skeleton.
4. figuratively The central core of something that gives shape to the entire structure; an outline of a longer project. The skeleton of the organisation is essentially the same as it was ten years ago, but many new faces have come and gone.

   Similar: backbone

5. A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
6. A client-helper procedure that communicates with a stub. In remote method invocation, the client helper is a ‘stub’ and the service helper is a ‘skeleton’.
7. The vertices and edges of a polyhedron, taken collectively.
8. A full subcategory of another category, consisting of one object from each isomorphism class in the original.
9. A very thin form of light-faced type.
10. attributive, especially A minimum or bare essentials. At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service.
11. The network of veins in a leaf. However interesting the skeleton of a leaf that has been bleached by nature may be, it cannot be alleged to be beautiful in colour, and therefore it is not of much value for the purposes of household decoration.
12. abbreviation, clipping, idiomatic Clipping of skeleton in the closet (“a shameful secret”).

Similar: ottomy, skellington, skeleton

verb skeletons · skeletoning · skeletoned · sceleton

1. archaic, transitive To reduce to a skeleton; to skin; to skeletonize.
2. archaic, transitive To minimize.

noun skeletons

1. uncountable A type of tobogganing in which competitors lie face down, and descend head first. Lugers, who slide feet first and reach the highest speeds, experience some of the same forces, but seem to suffer far fewer concussion-like symptoms than bobsled and skeleton athletes do, probably because a support strap often prevents their heads from banging into the ice.

   Similar: skeleton tobogganing, skeleton sliding

2. countable The form of toboggan used in this sport.

Similar: skeleton