skeleton

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈskɛlətən/ UK /ˈskɛlɪtn/ See IPA manual

Freq #7869

Meanings

1

noun
the frame of bones that supports the body of a person or animal

The human skeleton is made up of more than two hundred bones.
2

noun
the basic frame or structure that gives something its shape

The building's steel skeleton was finished before the walls went up.
3

noun
a secret, often embarrassing, that a person or family keeps hidden

Every family has a skeleton or two in the closet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the basic frame or... frame backbone

3 noun · a secret, often... skeleton in the closetskeleton in the cupboard

More ottomyskellington

Word family

Forms skeletons

Derived forms autoskeletoncarboskeletonchoanoskeletonchondroskeletoncilioskeletoncytoskeletondermatoskeletondermoskeletonendoskeletonexoskeletonfibroskeletonhydroskeleton

Related forms bone

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”).

*(s)kelh₁- Proto-Indo-European sceleton la-new σκελετός Ancient Greek

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# skeleton

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈskɛlətən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈskɛlɪtn/
**Frequency rank:** 7869

## Meanings
1. the frame of bones that supports the body of a person or animal
2. the basic frame or structure that gives something its shape
3. a secret, often embarrassing, that a person or family keeps hidden

## Examples
- The human skeleton is made up of more than two hundred bones.
- The building's steel skeleton was finished before the walls went up.
- Every family has a skeleton or two in the closet.

## Synonyms
- ottomy
- skellington

## Derived Forms
- autoskeleton
- carboskeleton
- choanoskeleton
- chondroskeleton
- cilioskeleton
- cytoskeleton
- dermatoskeleton
- dermoskeleton
- endoskeleton
- exoskeleton
- fibroskeleton
- hydroskeleton

## Related Forms
- bone

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)kelh₁-
- Root: sceleton
- Root: σκελετός

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Skeleton is 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”). Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁-, la-new sceleton, Ancient Greek σκελετός. In current use it includes senses such as the frame of bones that supports the body of a person or animal and the basic frame or structure that gives something its shape.

## Topics
- People & Society

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skeleton

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