bone

English

/ˈboʊn/, /bəʊn/, /bəʉn/, /bɐʉn/

noun
Definitions
  • (uncountable) A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
  • (countable) Any of the components of an endoskeleton, made of bone.
  • A bone of a fish; a fishbone.
  • A bonefish
  • One of the rigid parts of a corset that forms its frame, the boning, originally made of whalebone.
  • One of the fragments of bone held between the fingers of the hand and rattled together to keep time to music.
  • Anything made of bone, such as a bobbin for weaving bone lace.
  • (figurative) The framework of anything.
  • An off-white colour, like the colour of bone.
  • (US) A dollar.
  • (American football) The wishbone formation.
  • (slang) An erect penis; a boner.
  • (slang) A domino or dice.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English bon inherited from Old English bān (bone, tusk, the bone of a limb) inherited from Proto-Germanic *bainą (bone) derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- (strike, fear, hit, beat, be afraid, be frightened, frighten, hew).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*bʰeyh₂-

Gloss

strike, fear, hit, beat, be afraid, be frightened, frighten, hew

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

恐, 虞, 怖, 畏, 慄

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms