I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: frame (II) + work
1.
a.
(1) : a skeletal or structural frame
the framework of the ship
(2) : an openwork frame
the vines climbed a framework
(3) : a basic ideational or narrative structure
the framework of the political theory
the framework of the novel
(4) : a systematic set of relationships
the family was so large he had difficulty keeping the framework of kinship clear in his mind
b. : frames or a system of frames
the framework he had constructed for a gallery of pictures
2. : work done in or by means of a frame
3. : a conceptual scheme, structure, or system : the limits or outlines especially of a particular set of circumstances : frame of reference
4. : the larger branches of a tree that together determine its shape and symmetry
II. transitive verb
: to graft scions of another variety on the framework of (as a fruit tree) after removal of all smaller laterals usually to obtain more desirable fruit — compare topwork