1. the internal structure composed of bone and cartilage that protects and supports the soft organs, tissues, and other parts of a vertebrate organism; endoskeleton.
2. the hard external supporting and protecting structure in many invertebrates, such as mollusks and crustaceans, and certain vertebrates, such as turtles; exoskeleton.
3. A supporting structure or framework, as of a building.
4. an outline or sketch.
5. something reduced to its basic or minimal parts.
6. one that is very thin or emaciated.
7. of, relating to, or resembling a skeleton.
8. reduced to the basic or minimal parts or members: a skeleton crew.
9. skeleton in (one's) closet A source of shame or disgrace, as in a family, that is kept secret.

1. the system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.
2. A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
3. A very thin person.
4. A type of tobogganing in which competitors lie face down, and descend head first (compare luge). see wikipedia:skeleton (sport)
5. A client-helper procedure that communicates with a stub.
6. the vertices and edges of a polyhedron, taken collectively.
7. an anthropomorphic representation of a skeleton. see wikipedia:skeleton (undead)
8. the central core of something that gives shape to the entire structure.
9. to reduce to a skeleton; to skin; to skeletonize
10. to minimize

1. consisting of, or resembling, a skeleton; consisting merely of the framework or outlines; having only certain leading features of anything
2.
3. the bony and cartilaginous framework which supports the soft parts of a vertebrate animal.
4. the more or less firm or hardened framework of an invertebrate animal.
5.
6. A very thin or lean person.
7. the framework of anything; the principal parts that support the rest, but without the appendages.
8. the heads and outline of a literary production, especially of a sermon.

1. in anatomy, the dry bones of the body taken together; hence, in anatomy and zoology, some or any hard part, or the set of hard parts together, which form a support, scaffold, or framework of the body, sustaining, inclosing, or protecting soft parts or vital organs; connective tissue, especially when hard, as when fibrous, cuticular, corneous, cartilaginous, osseous, chitinous, calcareous, or silicious; an endoskeleton, exoskeleton, dermoskeleton, scleroskeleton, splanchnoskeleton, etc. (see these words.)
2. the supporting framework of anything; the principal parts that support the rest, but without the appendages.
3. an outline or rough draft of any kind; specifically, the outline of a literary performance: as, the skeleton of a sermon.
4. Milit., a regiment whose numbers have become reduced by casualties, etc.
5. A very lean or much emaciated person; a mere shadow of a man.
6. in printing, an exceedingly thin or condensed form of light-faced type.
7. of or pertaining to a skeleton; in the form of a skeleton; skeletal; lean.
8. consisting of a mere framework, outline, or combination of supporting parts: as, a skeleton leaf; a skeleton crystal.
9. to skeletonize.

1. the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape
2. a scandal that is kept secret
3. something reduced to its minimal form
4. the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal