What does bone mean?
A bone is any of the hard, rigid structures that form the internal framework — the skeleton — of humans and other vertebrates, supporting the body, protecting vital organs, and anchoring the muscles that enable movement. Bone is also the name of the tough, mineral-rich tissue itself, which is remarkably dynamic: it repairs itself after injury and is continually rebuilt throughout life. Beyond anatomy, 'bone' appears in countless everyday idioms, from 'a bone of contention' to being 'chilled to the bone', reflecting how deeply the idea of the skeleton runs through language. Figuratively, stripping something to its 'bare bones' reduces it to essentials, and 'making no bones about it' signals frankness. The word is standard in both formal medical writing and casual speech, making it one of those rare terms equally at home in a surgeon's report and a children's story about a dog with a treat.
Any of the rigid, calcified structures that make up the skeleton of a vertebrate animal.
"Doctors confirmed she had broken a bone in her left foot."
Countable when referring to an individual bone; uncountable when referring to bone as a substance, as in 'knife handles carved from bone'.
To remove the bones from meat, poultry, or fish before cooking.
"The recipe calls for a boned leg of lamb."
Usually encountered in the past participle 'boned'; the verb itself is common mainly in culinary contexts.
Standard plural; used both literally (individual skeletal elements) and figuratively (e.g. 'the bare bones of a plan').
"The owl pellet contained the tiny bones of several rodents."
Your bones are about 15% of your body weight — and they completely replace themselves roughly every ten years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bone
The English word 'bone' comes from Old English 'bān', meaning bone or tusk, which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Cognates include Old Norse 'bein' and Old High German 'bein', though the modern German word 'Bein' now primarily means 'leg'. It is not related to the Latin root 'os' (as in 'ossify' and 'osseous'), so words like 'bony' are direct derivatives while 'osseous' belongs to a different lineage altogether.
Related word forms
How bone is actually used
As a noun, 'bone' is standard in all registers. The verb 'bone up on' (to study intensively) is chiefly North American informal, and 'bone' as a slang term for sexual intercourse is vulgar. 'Bone' also appears in many fixed idioms ('cut to the bone', 'chilled to the bone') where it carries figurative force.
Easily confused with bone
'Bane' means a cause of ruin or persistent annoyance (as in 'the bane of my existence'), while 'bone' is a hard skeletal structure; they rhyme but are unrelated in meaning.