I. ˈbōn noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English boon, bon, from Old English bān; akin to Old High German & Old Norse bein bone
1.
a. : one of the hard parts of the skeleton of a vertebrate
shoulder bone
the bones of the arm
— compare cartilage
b. : any of various hard animal substances or structures akin to or resembling bone (as baleen, ivory, the internal calcareous shell of the cuttlefish)
c. : the hard tissue of which the adult skeleton of most vertebrates is largely composed, being a dense form of connective tissue, hard and rigid from its inorganic matter of chiefly calcium phosphate, and being externally of compact tissue covered except on the articular surfaces with a fibrous coat of vascular connective tissue and internally porous and containing cavities of various sizes — see bone cell , canaliculus , haversian canal , lamella , ossification , periosteum
2. : essence , core
chilled to the bone
lying was in his very bones
cut expenses to the bone
3. bones plural
a.
(1) : the skeleton
reduced to skin and bones by hunger
or other framework resembling a skeleton
vessels lost on the lakes, many of whose bones are still … along the shores — American Guide Series: Michigan
(2) : body
running as fast as his old bones would carry him
(3) : the more enduring parts of a dead body : mortal remains
inter a person's bones
b. : the essential design or framework (as of a story, novel, picture, or other work of art)
4. : matter , subject
a bone of contention
5. : something originally or usually made of bone: as
a. bones plural : thin bars of bone, ivory, or wood held in pairs between the fingers and used to produce musical rhythms : clappers, knackers
b. : a strip of whalebone, steel, featherbone, or plastic inserted into a casing to stiffen a garment (as a corset or dress)
c. bones plural : dice
d. : domino
6. : the bow wave of a ship when under way or especially when traveling at good speed — usually used with the phrase in her teeth
the ship all sails set, was roaring along with a bone in her teeth
7. bones plural but singular in construction , often capitalized : an end man in a minstrel show who often performs on the bones — compare tambo
8.
a. : a layer or fragments of shale, slate, or other rock in a coal seam or in coal
b. or bone coal : slaty coal often of such a high ash content that it cannot be used in the ordinary ways : carboniferous shale — called also bony, slate
9. slang : dollar
•
- bone to pick
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English bonen, from bon, boon, n.
transitive verb
1. : to remove the bones from
bone a fish
bone a turkey
the ribs can be boned out and the meat rolled for roasting
2. : to provide (a garment) with stays
bone a corset
a boned camisole
3. : to rub (as a boot) with a piece of bone in order to remove scratches and smooth the surface
4. : to sight along (an object or set of objects, as rods or sticks) to arrive at a straight line or ascertain a level
intransitive verb
1. : to study hard or ploddingly : grind
bone away at premedical courses
boning through law school
2. : to attempt to master necessary or required information in a short time (as in preparation for an examination) : cram — usually used with up
bone up on a problem
bone up on Latin
— compare swot
III. adverb
Etymology: bone (I) (as in bone-dry, bone-tired )
: extremely
a bone lazy fellow
: absolutely
a novel bone clean of sentimentality
: utterly
he gets bone tired and edgy — S.E.Fletcher
: desperately
bone poor
the poor are bone hungry — Margaret Shedd