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1. The hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal
   - skeletal system, frame, systema skeletale
    
2. Something reduced to its minimal form
   "the battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self"; "the bare skeleton of a novel"
    
3. A scandal that is kept secret
   "there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet"; "there must be a skeleton in the cupboard somewhere in that family's closet"
   - skeleton in the closet, skeleton in the cupboard
    
4. The internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape
   "the building has a steel skeleton"
   - skeletal frame, frame, underframe

Derived forms: skeletons

See also: musculoskeletal, skeletal

Type of: lower limit, minimum, outrage, scandal, supporting structure, system

Part of: aircraft, building, edifice, musculoskeletal system, ship

Encyclopedia: Skeleton