Link Centre Dictionary

bone

UK/bəʊn/ US/boʊn/ common informal slang us
noun (3) adjective (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

Synonyms
2.

the porous calcified substance from which bones are made

Synonyms
3.

adjective

1.

consisting of or made up of bone

  • “a bony substance”
  • “the bony framework of the body”
Similar

verb

1.

study intensively, as before an exam

  • “I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam”
Synonyms
2.

remove the bones from

  • “bone the turkey before roasting it”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English bon, from Old English bān (“bone, tusk; the bone of a limb”), from Proto-Germanic *bainą (“bone”), from *bainaz (“straight”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- (“to hit, strike, beat”). Cognate with Scots bane, been, bean, bein, bain (“bone”), North Frisian bian, Biin, biinj (“bone; leg”), West Frisian bien (“bone”), Dutch been (“bone; leg”), German Low German Been, Bein (“bone”), German Bein (“leg”), German Gebein (“bones”), Swedish ben (“bone; leg”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Icelandic bein (“bone; leg”), Breton benañ (“to cut, hew”), Latin perfinēs (“break through, break into pieces, shatter”), Avestan 𐬠𐬫𐬈𐬥𐬙𐬈 (byente, “they fight, hit”). Related also to Old Norse beinn (“straight, right, favourable, advantageous, convenient, friendly, fair, keen”) (whence Middle English bain, bayne, bayn, beyn (“direct, prompt”), Scots bein, bien (“in good condition, pleasant, well-to-do, cosy, well-stocked, pleasant, keen”)), Icelandic beinn (“straight, direct, hospitable”), Norwegian bein (“straight, direct, easy to deal with”). See bain, bein.

Phrases

  • all skin and bones
  • arm bone
  • bad to the bone
  • bag of bones
  • bone age
  • bone apple tea
  • bone ash
  • bone black
  • bone down
  • bone out
  • boning rod

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.