Main Entry: bone

Pronunciation: \ˈbōn\

Function: noun

Usage: often attrib

1 : one of the hard parts of the skeleton of a vertebrate <a shoulder bone> <the bones of the arm>

[bone illustration]

2 : any of various hard animal substances or structures (as baleen or ivory) akin to or resembling bone
3 : the hard largely calcareous connective tissue of which the adult skeleton of most vertebrates is chiefly composed <cancellous bone> <compact bone>—compare cartilage 1