Definition of skeleton
1
: a usually rigid supportive or protective structure or framework of an organism;
especially
: the bony or more or less cartilaginous framework supporting the soft tissues and protecting the internal organs of a vertebrate
2
: something reduced to its minimum form or essential parts
3
: an emaciated person or animal
4 a
: something forming a structural framework
b
: the straight or branched chain or ring of atoms that forms the basic structure of an organic molecule
5
: something shameful and kept secret (as in a family)
—often used in the phrase skeleton in the closet
6
: a small sled that is ridden in a prone position and used especially in competition;
also
: the competition itself
