skeletal

[skel-i-tl]

See more synonyms for skeletal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or like a skeleton.

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Origin of skeletal

First recorded in 1850–55; skelet(on) + -al¹

Related formsskel·e·tal·ly, adverbnon·skel·e·tal, adjectivenon·skel·e·tal·ly, adverbpseu·do·skel·e·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

bony emaciated anorexic cadaverous drawn famished gaunt haggard lank lean scrawny shrunken skinny thin underfed atrophied attenuated shrivelled undernourished

Examples from the Web for skeletal

Contemporary Examples

Once emblematic of American military muscle, the outposts are now skeletal shells.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley
Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman
November 15, 2014
What stories the skeletal remains of our century will tell remains to be seen.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot
Nick Romeo
August 13, 2014
It wasn't until he got closer that he discovered it was the skeletal remains of a human being.
Headless Torso Found in Venice Lagoon
Barbie Latza Nadeau
June 2, 2013
McCotter has only a skeletal staff that is still working on the basics.
2012’s Invisible Candidate
Michelle Cottle
August 12, 2011
Her skeletal remains were found 12 days later in the foothills near Los Angeles.
A Serial Killer's Final Victims?
Christine Pelisek
January 26, 2011

Historical Examples

All skeletal formations belong to one or other of these systems.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
We decide, then, to keep the skull as part of the skeletal foundation.
Practical Taxidermy
Montagu Browne
There may have been some differences in the skeletal and muscular structure.
Man And His Ancestor
Charles Morris
We cannot accept the skeletal formation as a fundamental structure of the plasm.
The Wonders of Life
Ernst Haeckel
The skeletal structures found in Balanoglossus are all endoskeletal.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

Word Origin and History for skeletal

adj.

1849, from skeleton + -al (1). Related: Skeletally.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

skeletal in Science

skeleton

[skĕl′ĭ-tn]

The internal structure of vertebrate animals, composed of bone or cartilage, that supports the body, serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles, and protects the vital organs and associated structures.
A hard protective covering or supporting structure of invertebrate animals. See also endoskeleton exoskeleton.

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Related formsskeletal adjective

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.