I. ˈbōn 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 bone s that it was wrong
3. plural
a.
(1) : skeleton
(2) : body
rested my weary bone s
(3) : corpse
inter a person's bone s
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
II. verb
( boned ; bon·ing )
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