1. The hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal
   "The skeleton supports the body and protects vital organs";
   - 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"; "The politician's skeleton in the closet was finally revealed during the heated debate";
   - 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
    
5. A winter sport in which one person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down
   "She won a gold medal in skeleton at the Winter Olympics"

Derived forms: skeletons

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

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

Encyclopedia: Skeleton