bone
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 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.
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.).
completely; absolutely: bone tired.
Idioms about 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
1Words Nearby bone
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bone in a sentence
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 | QuartzAfter too long in microgravity, our muscles and bones become weak.
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 NewsArchaeologist 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 NewsThe 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.
Later studies showed that only gaining weight and the return of natural menstruation help improve bone density.
My doctor put me on oral contraceptives to induce a period, figuring it would help build bone.
This leaves people with a history of anorexia and reduced bone density like me at high risk for fractures.
An x-ray two hours later confirms my hunch: my tibia (the big bone behind the shin) is snapped clean in two.
I saw this girl, eight or nine years old, all benumbed and nothing but skin and bone.
Large mononuclear leukocytes probably originate in the bone-marrow or spleen.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThat we will, and you never need want, Mark, for I've many a fine bone buried away against old age and rainy weather.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydMyelocytes are the bone-marrow cells from which the corresponding granular leukocytes are developed.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddPolymorphonuclear leukocytes are formed in the bone-marrow from neutrophilic myelocytes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for bone (1 of 2)
/ (bəʊn) /
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 holes: Related adjectives: osseous, osteal
something consisting of bone or a bonelike substance
(plural) the human skeleton or body: they 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 indecent: his 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)
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
Origin of bone
1- See also bone up
Derived forms of bone
- boneless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Bône (2 of 2)
/ (French bon) /
a former name of Annaba
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
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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