wishbone

[ wish-bohn ]

/ ˈwɪʃˌboʊn /

noun

a forked bone, formed by the fusion of the two clavicles, in front of the breastbone in most birds; furcula.

Football. an offensive formation in which the fullback is positioned directly behind the quarterback and the two halfbacks are positioned farther behind and to the left and right, respectively.

Nearby words

Origin of wishbone

1850–55, Americanism; wish + bone; so called from the custom of pulling the furcula of a cooked fowl apart until it breaks, the person holding the longer (sometimes shorter) piece being granted a wish

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

Examples from the Web for wishbone

To Wishbone Valley, where you will see the spirits of my ancestors eaten by your family.
The Children's Book of Thanksgiving Stories|Various
Cut in sharp at the point of the breastbone, turning the knife and cutting away the wishbone with the meat.
Every Step in Canning|Grace Viall Gray
And all the other objects scarcely breathed while they watched the children as they took the wishbone from the shelf.
Friendly Fairies|Johnny Gruelle
Turkey Proudfoot's wishbone seemed to be trying to come up into his month.
The Tale of Turkey Proudfoot|Arthur Scott Bailey

She's the only one in school who has one like that—an owl's head in a wishbone, you know.
The Little Colonel at Boarding-School|Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for wishbone

wishbone

/ (ˈwɪʃˌbəʊn) /

noun

the V-shaped bone above the breastbone in most birds consisting of the fused clavicles; furcula

Word Origin for wishbone

C17: from the custom of two people breaking apart the bone after eating: the person with the longer part makes a wish

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 wishbone

wishbone

1860, from wish + bone (n.); so called from the custom of making a wish while pulling the bone in two with another person. The wishbone breaking custom dates to the early 17c., when the bone was a merrythought.

Science definitions for wishbone

wishbone

[ wĭsh′bōn′ ]

The forked bone in front of the breastbone in most birds, consisting of the two collarbones partly fused together. It serves as a spring, capturing some of the energy during the downward stroke of the wings for release on the upward stroke.