English

Etymology
From Ancient Greek �κελε��� (skeletos) "dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy", from �κελλ� (skello) "to dry, dry up, make dry, parch".

Pronunciation
audio|En-us-skeleton.ogg|audio (US)

Noun
en-noun

wikipedia

1. anatomy The system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.

#* 1883: w:Robert Louis Stevenson|Robert Louis Stevenson, w:Treasure Island|Treasure Island
#*: At the foot of a pretty big pine, and involved in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the ground.

1. A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
2. A very thin person.

#:She lost so much weight while she was ill that she became a skeleton.

1. (From the sled used, which originally was a bare frame, like a skeleton.) A type of tobogganning in which competitors lie face down, and descend head first (compare luge).

wikipedia|Skeleton (sport)

Synonyms
(type of tobogganing): skeleton tobogganing

Translations
trans-top|system that provides support to an organism
Armenian: Õ¯Õ´Õ¡Õ­Ö� (kmaxq)
Catalan: esquelet m
Czech: kostra f
Danish: skelet#Danish|skelet g|Danish
Dutch: skelet#Dutch|skelet n, geraamte n
Finnish: luuranko
French: squelette f
German: Skelett#German|Skelett n, Gerippe n
trans-mid
Greek: �κελε��� (skeletós) m
Italian: scheletro m
Portuguese: esqueleto m
Russian: �келе� (skelét) m
Serbian: kostur m, okostje n
Slovak: kostra#Slovak|kostra f
Slovene: okostje n, skelet m
Spanish: esqueleto m
Swedish: skelett#Swedish|skelett n
trans-bottom

trans-top|frame that provides support to a building
Finnish: runko
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|very thin person
Finnish: luuranko
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|type of tobogganing
French: skeleton m
trans-mid
trans-bottom

Derived terms
skeletal
skeletally

Related terms
endoskeleton
exoskeleton
hydrostatic skeleton
skeleton crew
skeleton in the closet, skeleton in the cupboard
skeleton key
skeleton staff

See also
bone
luge

Verb
Archaic

to skeleton

1. to reduce to a skeleton; to skin
2. to minimize

French

Noun
skeleton m

1. skeleton (tobogganing)

Category:Anatomy
Category:Greek derivations

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• 2007-11-27 22:49 - DerbethBot - added audio En-us-skeleton.ogg; added missing pron. section

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