Definition: Skeleton

Etymology

From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν or skeletón, the neuter of σκελετός or skeletós (dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy), from σκέλλω or skéllō (dry, dry up, make dry, parch), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (to parch, wither); compare Ancient Greek σκληρός or sklērós (hard).

Noun

skeleton (plural skeletons or skeleta)

(anatomy) The system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.
An anthropomorphic representation of a skeleton.
She dressed up as a skeleton for Halloween.
The central core of something that gives shape to the entire structure.
The skeleton of the organization is essentially the same as it was ten years ago, but many new faces have come and gone.
(architecture) A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
(computing, middleware) A client-helper procedure that communicates with a stub.
(geometry) The vertices and edges of a polyhedron, taken collectively.
(printing) A very thin form of light-faced type.
A minimum or bare essentials.
(botany) The network of veins in a leaf.

Derived terms

autoskeleton
carboskeleton
choanoskeleton
chondroskeleton
cilioskeleton
cytoskeleton
dermatoskeleton
dermoskeleton
endoskeleton
exoskeleton
fibroskeleton
hydroskeleton
neuroskeleton
nucleoskeleton
skeletal
skeleton key
zonoskeleton

Credits

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