What does wishbone mean?
A wishbone has two closely related meanings: the forked, U-shaped bone in a bird’s chest and, by extension, a small bone taken from a cooked bird and used in a wish-making ritual. The anatomical sense refers to the furcula, a fusion of the clavicles that helps support the shoulder and wing muscles. The familiar sense is the little bone people pull apart after a meal, traditionally allowing the person who gets the larger piece to make a wish. The word therefore carries associations of luck, anticipation, and harmless competition, as well as a slightly nostalgic domestic ritual. It also shows how an ordinary anatomical feature can acquire a cultural meaning and remain part of everyday vocabulary even when the original belief is no longer taken literally. In writing, “wishbone” is usually concrete and familiar rather than formal, and it can describe anything shaped like the forked bone.
nounA wishbone is the forked, U-shaped bone in the chest of most birds, formed by the fused clavicles and supporting the shoulder and wing muscles. By extension, it refers to the bone from a cooked bird that people traditionally pull apart to make a wish or determine who has good fortune.
- The bone from a cooked bird, traditionally pulled apart by two people while making a wish or deciding who has good fortune.
- The forked, U-shaped bone in a bird's chest, formed by the fused clavicles and supporting the shoulder and wing muscles.
"They pulled apart the chicken's wishbone, and the child with the larger piece made a wish."
"They pulled apart the chicken's wishbone, and the child with the larger piece made a wish."
"The bird's wishbone helps support its shoulders and the muscles that move its wings."
The standard plural adds -s to the noun.
"The family saved the wishbones from their Thanksgiving dinners."
A bird’s wishbone is part of its flight apparatus, but after dinner it becomes a tiny adjudicator of luck: pull it apart, and the larger half traditionally carries the wish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wishbone come from?
The modern word is an English compound of wish and bone, developed in the 19th century for the forked bone associated with wish-making. The name reflects the custom of pulling or breaking the bone while making a wish, with the larger piece traditionally granting it. Its two components also explain the word’s meaning directly: it is a “bone” associated with a “wish.”
How wishbone is actually used
The culinary and wish-making sense is familiar, playful, and often associated with family or group rituals. The anatomical sense is technical and is more likely to occur in ornithological or biological contexts.