bone

The word “bone” means one of the hard, calcium-rich pieces that make up the skeleton of humans and most animals. In plain terms, the hard framework material that supports the body, or, as a verb, to take the bones out of meat.

“Bone” is pronounced bohn (/boʊn/ in IPA).

Here is “bone” used in a sentence: “She fractured a bone in her wrist after the fall.”

Words with a similar meaning to “bone” include os.

Depending on how it is used, “bone” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “bone” comes from Old English. From Old English bān, meaning bone or the bone of a limb, going back to an ancient Germanic root.

“Bone” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Bone” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: one of the hard, calcium-rich pieces that make up the skeleton of humans and most animals.

Bone is living tissue built mainly from collagen, a protein that provides a flexible framework, and calcium phosphate, a mineral that adds hardness and strength. Many bones also contain marrow in their hollow centres, where the body produces blood cells. This combination makes bone both rigid and slightly springy rather than brittle.

An adult human skeleton has 206 bones. Babies are born with around 270 to 300, but many of these fuse together as a child grows, reducing the total. Bones range from the tiny ossicles in the ear to the femur, the long thigh bone that is the largest in the body.

Bone is hard and rigid because it is rich in calcium, giving the body its solid framework. Cartilage is softer, smoother, and more flexible, cushioning the joints and shaping features like the ears and the tip of the nose. Much of a baby's skeleton begins as cartilage and gradually hardens into bone.

Anatomists usually group bones by shape. Long bones, like the femur, provide support and leverage; short bones, such as those in the wrist, allow fine movement; flat bones, like the skull and ribs, protect organs; and irregular bones, including the vertebrae, have complex shapes suited to their special functions.