skeleton meaning and definition

SKELETON noun

Definition of skeleton (noun)

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