Main Entry: ¹bone

Pronunciation: \ˈbōn\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English bon, from Old English bān; akin to Old High German & Old Norse bein bone, and perhaps to Old Irish benaid he hews

Date: before 12th century

1 a : one of the hard parts of the skeleton of a vertebrate b : any of various hard animal substances or structures (as baleen or ivory) akin to or resembling bone c : the hard largely calcareous connective tissue of which the adult skeleton of most vertebrates is chiefly composed
2 a : essence, core <cut costs to the bone> <a liberal to the bone> b : the most deeply ingrained part : heart —usually used in plural <knew in his bones that it was wrong>
3 plural a (1) : skeleton (2) : body <rested my weary bones> (3) : corpse <inter a person's bones> b : the basic design or framework (as of a play or novel)
4 : matter, subject <a bone of contention>
5 a plural : thin bars of bone, ivory, or wood held in pairs between the fingers and used to produce musical rhythms b : a strip of material (as whalebone or steel) used to stiffen a garment (as a corset) c plural : dice
6 : something that is designed to placate : sop
7 : a light beige
8 : inclination 1b <hadn't a political bone in his body — John Hersey>
9 slang : dollar

— boned \ˈbōnd\ adjective

— bone·less \ˈbōn-ləs\ adjective

— bone to pick : a matter to argue or complain about