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 composed2 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>3plural 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 aplural : 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) cplural : dice6: something that is designed to placate : sop7: a light beige8: inclination 1b <hadn't a political bone in his body — John Hersey>9slang : dollar

— boned \ˈbōnd\ adjective

— bone·less \ˈbōn-ləs\ adjective

— bone to pick

: a matter to argue or complain about