Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

to the bone

 - 7 dictionary results

bone

[bohn] noun, verb, boned, bon⋅ing, adverb
–noun
1. Anatomy, Zoology.
a. one of the structures composing the skeleton of a vertebrate.
b. the hard connective tissue forming the substance of the skeleton of most vertebrates, composed of a collagen-rich organic matrix impregnated with calcium, phosphate, and other minerals.
2. such a structure from an edible animal, usually with meat adhering to it, as an article of food: Pea soup should be made with a ham bone.
3. any of various similarly hard or structural animal substances, as ivory or whalebone.
4. something made of or resembling such a substance.
5. a small concession, intended to pacify or quiet; a conciliatory bribe or gift: The administration threw the student protesters a couple of bones, but refused to make any basic changes in the curriculum or requirements.
6. bones,
a. the skeleton.
b. a body: Let his bones rest in peace.
c. Games Slang. dice.
d. (initial capital letter) Mr. Bones.
e. a simple rhythm instrument consisting of two sometimes curved bars or short strips of bone, ivory, wood, or the like, held between the fingers of one hand and clacked together.
7. the color of bone; ivory or off-white.
8. a flat strip of whalebone or other material for stiffening corsets, petticoats, etc.; stay.
9. Games Slang. a domino.
–verb (used with object)
10. to remove the bones from: to bone a turkey.
11. to put whalebone or another stiffener into (clothing).
12. Agriculture. to put bone meal into (feed, fertilizer, etc.).
–adverb
13. completely; absolutely: bone tired.
14. bone up, Informal. to study intensely; cram: We're going to have to bone up for the exam.
15. feel in one's bones, to think or feel intuitively: She felt in her bones that it was going to be a momentous day.
16. have a bone to pick with someone, to have cause to disagree or argue with someone: The teacher had a bone to pick with him because his homework paper was identical with his neighbor's.
17. make no bones about,
a. to deal with in a direct manner; act or speak openly: He makes no bones about his dislike of modern music.
b. to have no fear of or objection to.
18. to the bone,
a. to the essentials; to the minimum: The government cut social service programs to the bone.
b. to an extreme degree; thoroughly: chilled to the bone.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME bo(o)n, OE bān; c. OFris, OS bēn, D been bone, ON bein bone, leg, G Bein leg (-bein bone, in compounds); < Gmc *bainan (neut.), prob. orig. ptp. (cf. OIr benaid (he) hews), meaning “lopped off,” from butchering of animals; orig. in phrase *bainan astan lopped-off bone or branch (hence, “leg,” as a branch of the body); r. *astan bone < IE *Host- (> L os(s), Albanian asht, Avestan ast-, Hittite hast-ai), which fell together in Gmc with *astaz branch (> G Ast) < IE *osdos (> Gk ózos, Armenian ost)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To to the bone
Slang Dictionary
bone

  1. n.
    a trombone. (Musicians. See also bones.) : She plays the bone like nobody's business.

  2. Go to boner. :
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bone 
O.E. ban, from P.Gmc. *bainam (cf. O.N. bein, Dan. ben, Ger. Bein). No cognates outside Gmc. (the common PIE root is *ost-); the O.N., Du., and Ger. cognates also mean "shank of the leg," and this is the main sense in Mod.Ger., but Eng. never seems to have had this sense. To make bones about (1459) refers to bones found in soup, etc., as an obstacle to being swallowed. To bone up "study" is 1880s student slang, from "Bohn's Classical Library," a popular series in higher education. To feel something in one's bones "have a presentiment" is c.1880, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

bone (bōn)
n.

  1. The dense, semirigid, porous, calcified connective tissue forming the major portion of the skeleton of most vertebrates, consisting of a dense organic matrix and an inorganic, mineral component.

  2. Any of the more than 200 anatomically distinct structures making up the human skeleton.

  3. A piece of bone.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
bone   (bōn)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. The hard, dense, calcified tissue that forms the skeleton of most vertebrates, consisting of a matrix made up of collagen fibers and mineral salts. There are two main types of bone structure: compact, which is solid and hard, and cancellous, which is spongy in appearance. Bone serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles and protects vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. See more at osteoblast, osteocyte.

  2. Any of the structures made of bone that constitute a skeleton, such as the femur. The human skeleton consists of 206 bones.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see to the bone on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: