skeleton
/ˈskɛlətən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.80 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The system that provides support to an organism, where in vertebrates it is internal and consists of bones and cartilage, and external in some other animals.
noun
An anthropomorphic representation of a skeleton.
noun
A very thin person.
noun
The central core of something that gives shape to the entire structure; an outline of a longer project.
noun
A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
noun
A client-helper procedure that communicates with a stub.
noun
The vertices and edges of a polyhedron, taken collectively.
noun
A full subcategory of another category, consisting of one object from each isomorphism class in the original.
Example Sentences
- "At the foot of a pretty big pine, and involved in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the ground."
- "Her whimsical Halloween decorations include dancing skeletons who sing an eerie song."
- "A Day or two after they parted, [Francis] Spriggs was choſe Captain by the reſt, and a black Enſign was made, which they called Jolly Roger, with the ſame Device that Captain [Edward] Low carried, viz. a white Skeliton in the Middle of it, with a Dart in one Hand ſtriking a bleeding Heart, and in the other, an Hour Glaſs; when this was finiſhed and hoiſted, they fired all their Guns to ſalute their Captain and themſelves, and then looked out for Prey."
- "She lost so much weight while she was ill that she became a skeleton."
- "The skeleton of the organisation is essentially the same as it was ten years ago, but many new faces have come and gone."
- "I've written three stories. Well, one is a skeleton, but the other two are mostly complete."
Etymology
From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν (skeletón), the neuter of σκελετός (skeletós, “dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy”), from σκέλλω (skéllō, “dry, dry up, make dry, parch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, wither”); compare Ancient Greek σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈskɛlətən/
- British English: /ˈskɛlɪtən/