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bone definition

bone (bōn)

noun

  1. any of the separate parts of the hard connective tissue forming the skeleton of most full-grown vertebrate animals
  2. this tissue, composed essentially of living cells embedded in hard calcium compounds
  3. the skeleton
  4. the body, living or dead
  5. a bonelike substance or part, as whalebone
  6. a thing made of bone or of bonelike material; specif.,
    1. a corset stay
    2. Informal dice
    1. flat sticks used as clappers in minstrel shows
    2. ☆ an end man in a minstrel show
  8. bone white

Etymology: ME bon < OE ban, bone, esp. of a limb, akin to Ger bein, a leg; only Gmc

transitive verb boned, boning bon′·ing

  1. to remove the bones from
  2. to put whalebone or other stiffening into
  3. to fertilize with bone meal

intransitive verb

☆ to study hard and hurriedly, as in preparation for an examination; cram: usually with up
bone Idioms

feel in one's bones

☆
to have an intuition or presentiment

have a bone to pick

Informal to have something to quarrel or complain about

make no bones about

Informal
  1. to make no attempt to hide; admit freely
  2. to have no objection to or qualms about

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms bone idiom

medical bone definition - medical

bone Synonyms

bone

n.

skeletal substance, osseous matter, bony process, bone cartilage, ossein.

Bones of the human skeleton include: cranium or skull, frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, zygomatic or cheekbone, sphenoid, ethmoid, vomer or nasal bones, mandible or jawbone, maxilla, malleus or hammer, incus or anvil, stapes or stirrup, spinal column or vertebral column or vertebrae or backbone, atlas, axis, coccyx, ribcage, sternum or breastbone, clavicle or collarbone, scapula or shoulder blade, humerus, radius, ulna, carpal, metacarpal, phalanges, pelvis, ischium, pubis, ilium or hipbone, femur or thighbone, patella or kneecap, tibia or shinbone, fibula, talus, tarsal, metatarsal.

feel in one's bones

be convinced, feel intuitively, have a presentiment, have a hunch; see anticipate 1, see believe 1, feel 2.

have a bone to pick*

have a complaint, have a quarrel, be angry, express an objection; see complain 1, oppose 1.

make no bones about*

confess, reveal, expose; see admit 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bone Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • contention: The only bone of contention was Mahler's music, which Bridge found not to his taste.

Converse of object

  • cremate: Their cremated bones were placed in an urn under a large stone in the southern part of the cairn.

Adjective modifier

  • broken: Her grip, it's crushing, grinding the broken bones in his hands together.

Modifies a noun

  • marrow: With my first taste of roast bone marrow with parsley salad was born my enduring love of meat, nose to tail.

Noun used with modifier

  • thigh: Femur - the upper leg or thigh bone - the longest bone in the body.
bone usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bone quotes

Edward Hopper is the great painter of American hell in the 20th century, the limner-laureate of the beauty, poignance, eternityand bone-ache disquietude of life.

-Allen, Henry Southworth

Most games are skin-deep, but cricket goes to the bone.

-Aristotle

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

-Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)

bone quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"bone." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bone>

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bone. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bone

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