Adjacent Words

Bone definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BONE, n.
1. A firm hard substance of a dull white color, composing some part of the frame of an animal body. The bones of an animal support all the softer parts, as the flesh and vessels. They vary in texture in different bones, and in different parts of the same bone. The long bones are compact in their middle portion, with a central cavity occupied by a network of plates and fibers, and cellular or spongy at the extremities. The flat bones are compact externally, and cellular internally. The bones in a fetus are soft and cartilaginous, but they gradually harden with age. The ends of the long bones are larger than the middle, which renders the articulations more firm, and in the fetus are distinct portions, called epiphyses. Bones are supplied with blood vessels, and in the fetus, or in a diseased state, are very vascular. They are probably also furnished with nerves and absorbents, though less easily detected in a sound state. They are covered with a thin, strong membrane, called the periosteum, which, together with the bones, has very little sensibility in a sound state, but when inflamed, is extremely sensible. Their cells and cavities are occupied by a fatty substance, called the medulla or marrow. They consist of earthy matter, rather more than half, gelatin, one sixteenth, and cartilage, about one third of the whole. The earthy matter gives them their solidity, and consists of phosphate of lime, with a small portion of carbonate of lime and phosphate of magnesia.
2. A piece of bone, with fragments of meat adhering to it.
To be upon the bones, is to attack. [Little used, and vulgar.]
To make no bones, is to make no scruple; a metaphor taken from a dog who greedily swallows meat that has no bones.
Bones, a sort of bobbins, made of trotter bones, for weaving lace; also dice.
BONE, v.t. To take out bones from the flesh, as in cookery.
1. To put whale bone into stays.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: consisting of or made up of bone; "a bony substance"; "the bony framework of the body" n
1: rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates [syn: bone, os]
2: the porous calcified substance from which bones are made [syn: bone, osseous tissue]
3: a shade of white the color of bleached bones [syn: bone, ivory, pearl, off-white] v
1: study intensively, as before an exam; "I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam" [syn: cram, grind away, drum, bone up, swot, get up, mug up, swot up, bone]
2: remove the bones from; "bone the turkey before roasting it" [syn: bone, debone]

Merriam Webster's

biographical name Sir Muirhead 1876-1953 Scottish etcher & painter

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English bon, from Old English b?n; 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 adjective • boneless adjective II. verb (boned; boning) Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to remove the bones from <bone a fish> 2. to provide (a garment) with stays 3. to rub (as a boot or baseball bat) with something hard (as a piece of bone) in order to smooth the surface intransitive verb to study hard ; grind <bone through medical school> III. adverb Date: circa 1825 extremely, very <bone tired>; also totally

Britannica Concise

Rigid connective tissue of vertebrates consisting of cells embedded in a hard matrix. Bones serve as the body's supporting framework; provide muscle attachment points for movement; protect the internal organs; house the blood-cell formation system (red bone marrow); and hold about 99% of the calcium vital to many body processes. Bone consists of a matrix of calcium, phosphate, and carbonate crystals embedded among collagen fibers, providing strength and elasticity, and bone cells (less than 5% of its volume). An external layer of compact bone surrounds a central area of spongy bone, except at the marrow cavity. Bone does not grow by cell division; instead, different types of bone cells generate bone matrix, break it down, and maintain it. Bone is remodeled by this process, which strengthens it in areas under greatest stress, permits healing of fractures, and helps regulate calcium levels in body fluid (see calcium deficiency). The process also causes underutilized bone, as in an immobilized limb, to atrophy. Bone disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, rickets, osteoporosis, and tumors. Bone can fracture suddenly or over time, as in stress fractures.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 any of the pieces of hard tissue making up the skeleton in vertebrates. 2 (in pl.) a the skeleton, esp. as remains after death. b the body, esp. as a seat of intuitive feeling (felt it in my bones). 3 a the material of which bones consist. b a similar substance such as ivory, dentine, or whalebone. 4 a thing made of bone. 5 (in pl.) the essential part of a thing (the bare bones). 6 (in pl.) a dice. b castanets. 7 a strip of stiffening in a corset etc. --v. 1 tr. take out the bones from (meat or fish). 2 tr. stiffen (a garment) with bone etc. 3 tr. Brit. sl. steal. Phrases and idioms: bone china fine china made of clay mixed with the ash from bones. bone-dry quite dry. bone idle (or lazy) utterly idle or lazy. bone-meal crushed or ground bones used esp. as a fertilizer. bone of contention a source or ground of dispute. bone-setter a person who sets broken or dislocated bones, esp. without being a qualified surgeon. bone spavin see SPAVIN. bone up (often foll. by on) colloq. study (a subject) intensively. close to (or near) the bone 1 tactless to the point of offensiveness. 2 destitute; hard up. have a bone to pick (usu. foll. by with) have a cause for dispute (with another person). make no bones about 1 admit or allow without fuss. 2 not hesitate or scruple. point the bone (usu. foll. by at) Austral. 1 wish bad luck on. 2 cast a spell on in order to kill. to the bone 1 to the bare minimum. 2 penetratingly. work one's fingers to the bone work very hard, esp. thanklessly. Derivatives: boneless adj. Etymology: OE ban f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bone Bone, n. [OE. bon, ban, AS. b[=a]n; akin to Icel. bein, Sw. ben, Dan. & D. been, G. bein bone, leg; cf. Icel. beinn straight.] 1. (Anat.) The hard, calcified tissue of the skeleton of vertebrate animals, consisting very largely of calcic carbonate, calcic phosphate, and gelatine; as, blood and bone. Note: Even in the hardest parts of bone there are many minute cavities containing living matter and connected by minute canals, some of which connect with larger canals through which blood vessels ramify. 2. One of the pieces or parts of an animal skeleton; as, a rib or a thigh bone; a bone of the arm or leg; also, any fragment of bony substance. (pl.) The frame or skeleton of the body. 3. Anything made of bone, as a bobbin for weaving bone lace. 4. pl. Two or four pieces of bone held between the fingers and struck together to make a kind of music. 5. pl. Dice. 6. Whalebone; hence, a piece of whalebone or of steel for a corset. 7. Fig.: The framework of anything. A bone of contention, a subject of contention or dispute. A bone to pick, something to investigate, or to busy one's self about; a dispute to be settled (with some one). Bone ash, the residue from calcined bones; -- used for making cupels, and for cleaning jewelry. Bone black (Chem.), the black, carbonaceous substance into which bones are converted by calcination in close vessels; -- called also animal charcoal. It is used as a decolorizing material in filtering sirups, extracts, etc., and as a black pigment. See Ivory black, under Black. Bone cave, a cave in which are found bones of extinct or recent animals, mingled sometimes with the works and bones of man. --Am. Cyc. Bone dust, ground or pulverized bones, used as a fertilizer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bone Bone, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boned; p. pr. & vb. n. Boning.] 1. To withdraw bones from the flesh of, as in cookery. ``To bone a turkey.'' --Soyer. 2. To put whalebone into; as, to bone stays. --Ash. 3. To fertilize with bone. 4. To steal; to take possession of. [Slang]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bone Bone, v. t. [F. bornoyer to look at with one eye, to sight, fr. borgne one-eyed.] To sight along an object or set of objects, to see if it or they be level or in line, as in carpentry, masonry, and surveying. --Knight. Joiners, etc., bone their work with two straight edges. W. --M. Buchanan.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bones, boning, boned) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Your bones are the hard parts inside your body which together form your skeleton. Many passengers suffered broken bones... Stephen fractured a thigh bone... The body is made up primarily of bone, muscle, and fat... She scooped the chicken bones back into the stewpot. N-VAR 2. If you bone a piece of meat or fish, you remove the bones from it before cooking it. Make sure that you do not pierce the skin when boning the chicken thighs... VERB: V n 3. A bone tool or ornament is made of bone. ...a small, expensive pocketknife with a bone handle. ADJ: usu ADJ n 4. see also marrow bone, T-bone steak 5. The bare bones of something are its most basic parts or details. There are not even the bare bones of a garden here–I've got nothing. PHRASE 6. If something is too close to the bone, it makes you feel uncomfortable because it is very close to the truth or to the real nature of something. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 7. If you make no bones about something, you talk openly about it, rather than trying to keep it a secret. Some of them make no bones about their political views. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR about n 8. If you make no bones about doing something that is unpleasant or difficult or that might upset someone else, you do it without hesitating. Stafford-Clark made no bones about reapplying for the job when Daldry was standing for it. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR about -ing 9. If something such as costs are cut to the bone, they are reduced to the minimum possible. It has survived by cutting its costs to the bone... Profit margins have been slashed to the bone in an attempt to keep turnover moving. PHRASE: PHR after v 10. You use to the bone to indicate that you are very deeply affected by something. For example, if you feel chilled to the bone, your whole body feels extremely cold, often because you have had a shock. What I saw chilled me to the bone. PHRASE: PHR after v

Foolish Dictionary

One Dollar--the original price of a wife. Note, Adam, who had to give up one bone before he got Eve.

Moby Thesaurus

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