bone

[bohn]

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noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

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.
Games Slang.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.

Games Slang. 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).

Agriculture. to put bone meal into (feed, fertilizer, etc.).

adverb

completely; absolutely: bone tired.

Idioms

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

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 (-bein bone, in compounds); < Germanic *bainan (neuter), probably orig. past participle (compare Old Irish benaid (he) hews), meaning “lopped off,” from butchering of animals; orig. in phrase *bainan astan lopped-off bone or branch (hence, “leg,” as a branch of the body); replacing *astan bone < Indo-European *Host- (> Latin os(s), Albanian asht, Avestan ast-, Hittite hast-ai), which fell together in Gmc with *astaz branch (> German Ast) < Indo-European *osdos (> Greek ózos, Armenian ost)

Annaba

[an-nah-buh]

noun

a seaport in NE Algeria: site of Hippo Regius.

Formerly Bône [bohn] /boʊn/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bone

cartilage, ossein

Examples from the Web for bone

Contemporary Examples of bone

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
Yes, and soon your body will work the piece of bone out of the intestine.
I Shot Bin Laden
Elliot Ackerman
November 16, 2014
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
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
[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

Historical Examples of bone

The bullets of the posse had neither torn a tendon nor broken a bone.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
I don't imagine there's a single one that cares a bone button for me.
Quaint Courtships
Various
The brain is hidden in darkness, sheltered within a box of bone.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
"The magic of this bone is a very great magic," Simba was saying.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
I had it now, the whole damnable, pitiful story, every fact clear-cut to the bone.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for bone

bone

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 bone or near the bone

risqué or indecenthis jokes are rather close to the bone
in poverty; destitute

feel in one's bones to have an intuition of

have a bone to pick to 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, slang to have sexual intercourse with

British a slang word for steal

Word Origin for bone

Old English bān; related to Old Norse béin, Old Frisian bēn, Old High German bein

Bône

noun

a former name of Annaba

Annaba

noun

a port in NE Algeria: site of the Roman city of Hippo Regius. Pop: 382 000 (2005 est)Former name: Bône

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bone

Old English ban "bone, tusk," from Proto-Germanic *bainam (cf. Old Frisian ben, Old Norse bein, Danish ben, German Bein). No cognates outside Germanic (the common PIE root is *os-; see osseous); the Norse, Dutch, and German cognates also mean "shank of the leg," and this is the main meaning in Modern German, but English never seems to have had this sense.

especially in bone up "study," 1880s student slang, probably from "Bohn's Classical Library," a popular series in higher education published by German-born English publisher Henry George Bohn (1796-1884) as part of a broad series of "libraries" he issued from 1846, totaling 766 volumes, continued after 1864 by G. Bell & Sons.

bone in Medicine

bone

[bōn]

n.

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.

A piece of bone.

bone in Science

bone

[bōn]

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 osteoblast osteocyte.

Any of the structures made of bone that constitute a skeleton, such as the femur. The human skeleton consists of 206 bones.

Idioms and Phrases with bone

bone

In addition to the idioms beginning with bone

bone of contention
bone to pick, have a
bone up

also see:

bare bones
chilled to the bone
cut to the bone
feel in one's bones
funny bone
make no bones about
pull a boner
roll the bones
skin and bones
work one's fingers to the bone